Tag: trains

Inter-Korean Rail Project Blocked Until International Sanctions Against North Korea Are Dropped

| June 29, 2018

This is an example of why the South Koreans need the US to agree to drop sanctions before they can begin any projects with North Korea:

After the two Koreas agreed on Tuesday to connect their railroads and work together on modernizing the North’s infrastructure, one question looms: Is the project even possible?

If South Korea were to provide North Korea with vehicles, machinery and other equipment for track construction, it would violate United Nations Security Council Resolution 2397, which prohibits the export of industrial equipment to the North. The sanctions, passed unanimously on Dec. 22, 2017, came after the North tested an intercontinental ballistic missile on Nov. 29 of last year.

During the meeting between officials from the two Koreas on Tuesday, both sides agreed to boost cooperation in modernizing North Korea’s rails, stating the end goal was “balanced development of the national economy and co-prosperity.”

South Korean President Moon Jae-in has espoused a grand vision of creating a single market with the two Koreas to lay the foundation for unification, job creation and economic growth in both countries.  [Joong Ang Ilbo]

You can read much more at the link, but I expect that the Kim regime will continue to play nice in order to convince President Trump to drop sanctions for little to nothing in return.  I would not be surprised if the Kim regime decides to continue to play nice until after the mid-term elections in the US.  This will give them an assessment of the landscape in the US moving forward in 2019.

Picture of the Day: North Korea Makes Electric Locomotive

| October 27, 2016

N.K. workers make electric locomotive

Members of the North’s General Federation of Trade Unions of Korea present an electric locomotive they made to mark the seventh congress of the organization on Oct. 23, 2016, in Pyongyang. The country’s key media outlet, the Korean Central News Agency, which released this photo said the workers “briskly conducted the do-good-thing movement” to make the locomotive. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

North Korea Reportedly Making Train Mobile ICBMs

| September 2, 2016

Reports like this make think this could just be disinformation coming out of North Korea:

North Korea is building intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch pads on trains, the U.S.-based Radio Free Asia (RFA) said Wednesday.

“Technicians from the second economic committee have been building a mobile ICBM launch pad since May,” a North Korean citizen living in Gangwon Province said. “The factory makes six freight trains a month and will be used as ICBM mobile launch pads.”

The trains were customized to withstand missile launches, the source said. [Korea Times]

You can read more at the link.

KORAIL’s Discount Pass Becomes Extremely Popular with Young Koreans; Maybe Too Popular

| July 31, 2016

It looks like Korean trains are getting increasingly packed due to the Rail-ro pass program:

At Seoul Station, Kang Yea-na, a 22-year-old student, boarded a Mugunghwa train bound for Gyeongju, a popular destination on the southeastern coast. She did not have a normal ticket.

Rather, Kang was boarding the train on a Rail-ro pass, along with many similarly young travelers holding passes that allow them to take free or standing seats aboard trains.

The Rail-ro program, run by the Korean Rail Corporation (Korail), allows pass holders to hop on and off trains by taking standing or free seats. The program is limited to Koreans under the age of 25, and Korail releases roughly 10,000 tickets per day.

The name Rail-ro is a portmanteau of “rail,” which is also a homophone for “future” in Korean, and “ro,” which means “path.”

The program has gained popularity ever since Korail introduced the passes in 2007. Rail-ro travelers have been coined the nickname “railers,” and ridership has increased each year.

During the program’s first year, the number of railers was close to 8,000. By 2014, the number surpassed 192,000.

Korail sells Rail-ro passes only twice a year, in the summer from June to September and in the winter from November to March. Five-day passes cost 56,500 won ($50) and seven-day passes go for 62,700 won. Railers are free to board most types of trains, including the ITX-Cheongchun, ITX-Saemaeul, Saemaeul, Nuriro and Mugunghwa.  [Joong Ang Ilbo]

You can read more at the link, but has any ROK Heads traveled around Korea using this pass?