North Korea and Russia To Rebuild Rail Connection, Will Help Complete the Eurasian Landbridge

May 28, 2007 (LPAC)--North Korea and Russia have signed a memorandum of intention on the reconstruction of a railway section, from the Russian border station Khasan to the North Korean port of Najin, a Russian radio station reported Sunday. The rail connection is central to the, involving North Korea, Russia, Mongolia, China and Japan. It will also facilitate a future link from the Trans-Siberian Railway to the Trans-Korean Railway (TKR, which connects North and South Korea, finally opened this month after fifty years).

In late April, representatives of the Russian Railways (RZD) and North Korea's Ministry of Railways signed the deal at the end of the four-day talks held in Pyongyang, Voice of Russia said. The Russian delegation was headed by Alexei Mersiyanov, a RZD vice-president for economic activities, while Deputy Railways Minister Kim Chol led the North Korean delegation.