On Wednesday, North and South Korean Officials participated in a ground-breaking ceremony of the planned construction of a train system which gives hope that the day will come when they will work as one to bring Korea to prosperity. The ceremony was held at the Panmun Station in the North's border town of Kaesong.
The continuity of the proposed project is at risk because of the threat of a U.S. - led sanctions against North Korea. According to reports, the ceremony on Wednesday was held only after officials had obtained the approval of the United Nations in transporting vehicles across the border to the North Korean Border town of Kaesong.
Last summer, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a peace pledge with U.S. President Donald Trump agreeing that the North will "work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. There were only a few details that were publicized about the content of the agreement and there was no proof that a denuclearization will follow.
President Kim and his South Korea counterpart, President Moon Jae-in, have started moving towards cooperation and disregarding their hostility despite the global concern of North Korea's weapons program. The railroad represented the cooperation between the two parties.
Kim Hyun-mee, the South Korean transport minister, said during the ceremony that the railways will not only reduce time and space but also the distance between the hearts of South and North.
The two countries agreed on a joint survey of the North Korean railways and they found out that they are required a massive amount of investment to update the tracks. They are also planning to execute further surveys of the railways before finalizing the railroad plan.
According to South Korea's Unification Ministry said in a statement that actual construction will be pursued in accordance with progress in the North's denuclearization and the state of sanctions against the North.
Kim Yun-hyok, North Korea's railway minister said that the achievement in the North-South railway and road project depends on their people's determination and willingness. He added that their people's burning hope for unification cannot be realized ever as long as they how others think and hesitate.
He also said that the enormous momentum of the railway and road project stays within the Korean people and how fast it will go also depends on the Korean people's determination and timetable. The Koreans despite other nations influence said that the ceremony will start the wide range of exchanges and cooperation between the nations.
