Two Koreas argue over cross-border trains

Korean economic talks strained into Tuesday over cross-border trains. A key point at the talks was if Seoul would be able to persuade Pyongyang to revive test runs of trains across their heavily armed border.

Photo: Two Koreas argue over cross-border trains

Two Koreas argue over cross-border trains

North Korea has stood by its position that the railway tests can go forward when a military agreement providing for their security has been reached, but the South is pushing for "a more affirmative expression" of commitment from the North, a South Korean official said on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing talks.

The two Koreas were meeting late into the night, and "there is a slightly higher possibility that they will work out a compromise," the official said early Tuesday. The two Koreas had planned to adopt a joint statement Monday.

The trial runs scheduled last month would have been the first time trains crossed the frontier in more than half a century, and were a high-profile part of reconciliation efforts between the Cold War rivals.

But Pyongyang called off the tests at the last minute, citing a lack of a military protocol to guarantee travelers' safety through the Demilitarized Zone, which separates the two Koreas and is subject to an armistice agreement signed at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War.

The North has refused to discuss the military protocol, demanding that changes to the sea border between the countries be discussed first.

The North Koreans also insist that both sides implement an agreement reached last year, under which the South pledged raw materials to help the communist country produce clothes, shoes and soap, the official said, reports the AP.

N.U.