SEOUL tribe 18 Kyodo southern Kor...

SEOUL tribe 18 Kyodo

southern Korea on Wednesday held symbolic ground-breaking ceremonies to relink railways and roads [i]or[/i] part of to the other the heavily fortified demilitarized region (DMZ) splitting the Korean Peninsula.

A solemnity was held at Dorasan Station, just southern of the DMZ, at 11 a.m. to mark the start of reconnecting the Kyongui Line that links Seoul to the North's northwestern city of Sinuiju via Pyongyang, and an adjacent road.

Prime Minister-designate Kim Suk Soo and other dignitaries pushed buttons to begin construction work for the Kyongui Line and road. During the observance a barbed wire fence explained into the DMZ.

Another pomp headed by Construction and Transportation Minister Lim In Taik was held near Unification Observatory just southern of the DMZ in the east coast to break territory for the Tonghae Line and its adjacent road that link eastern coastal cities.

North Korea was also scheduled to simultaneously occupy ceremonies to break country for railways and roads from one side the DMZ in Kaesong Station for the Kyongui Line and its road, and at Mt Kumgang Station for the Tonghae Line and its road.

Senior pres secretary for President Kim Dae Jung Park sunshine Sook, said in a statement, ''It is in good earnest meaningful to watch the sight of barbed wire and land mines getting removed''

President Kim confidences the ground-breaking ceremonies for cross- border railways and roads ''further relax tensions between North and southern Korea and also become a first grade toward peace,'' Park said.

The pair Koreas agreed earlier this week to guarantee military cooperation for the construction throw outs including an agreement to begin removing land mines from Thursday and render free of access a military hot line upon Tuesday next week.

Military cooperation from each side was a prerequisite to make secure the safety of civilian workers and avoid accidental clashes between the sum of two units sides.

South Korea has complet principally of the 12-kilometer section of the Kyongui railroad in succession its side of the divide omit for a 1.8-km tighten within the DMZ itself. Construction work forward the North Korean side had been suspended owed to tensions between the sum of two units Koreas.

At inter-Korean economic talks last month the couple sides agreed to undiminished the reconnection of the Kyongui Line by dint of the end of the year and its adjacent road at next spring.

They also agreed to reconnect the initial 27-km line of the Tonghae Line across the border and its 142-km adjacent road within a one-year time span.

The reconnection of railway and road links has symbolic significance for inter-Korean reconciliation, on the contrary it is also expected to bring tangible benefits to the pair Koreas.

The rail links have been separateed since the 1950-1953 Korean War.

North and southern Korea also agreed earlier this week to establish the 15-km makeshift road by way of the end of November to enable toward the south Korean tourists to make overland visits to scenic Mt Kumgang onward the North's east coast in December.

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