The two Koreas are starting their two-and-a-half week long... joint on-site inspections of railways in North Korea.
Coming four months later than originally scheduled,... the good news is that the two Koreas were granted sanctions waivers from the UN Security Council... as well as the U.S. to move the project forward.
Let's connect to our unification ministry corresponent Oh Jung-hee joining us on the line.
Jung-hee what do you have for us?
Hi Mark. South Korean researchers and train cars left from South Korea's northernmost Dorasan station about an hour ago.
They are 7 in total, with a locomotive and six cars carrying oil and electricity,... as well as facilities for the researchers who'll basically live inside the train for two-and-a-half weeks.
Seoul's unification and transport ministers, lawmakers, and rail officials gathered for a ceremony this morning to send them off.
They expressed hope that the on-site survey will be a stepping stone to ultimately kick-start the railway connection project with the North.
"Today's ceremony will be a signal of the two Koreas' co-prosperity through a railway connection, and provide momentum to expand the Korean Peninsula's economic reach to the Eurasian continent."
"The government will prepare steadily to hold the groundbreaking ceremony within this year as the leaders of South and North have agreed... and closely coordinate with related countries so that the railway connection project can go ahead with support from the international community."
So tell us in detail... how the inspections going to take place?
And once the inspections are over, what can we expect to see next?
A ground-breaking ceremony as planned?
Well Mark, let me show you the map that I have here:
The South Korean train cars will be crossing the border with 55-thousand liters of oil and 300 kilowatts of electricity.
At Panmun station, the South Korean train will link up with a North Korean locomotive and cars.
Then they will move together for 18 days as they test the western Gyeongui Line first... and then the eastern Donghae Line.
This will be the first time in over 10 years that the two Koreas have checked the western Gyeongui Line... and the first time in history they've surveyed the eastern Donghae Line.
As you've mentioned, the two Koreas had planned to hold a ground-breaking ceremony to connect and modernize railways and roads within this year.
While the schedule's been quite delayed and the joint inspections are taking place much later than initially planned, Seoul's unification ministry is still confident that the ceremony can take place before the end of this year.
But it's widely seen that the ceremony is only for symbolic purposes... and Seoul also says the actual construction will proceed in accordance with progress in North Korea's denuclearization.
Back to you, Mark.
