May 17, 2007
MUNSAN, South Korea–It was New Year's Eve in 1950. Koreans were fleeing the Chinese advance in the North when American soldiers halted their train at the South Korean border, shooting bullets into its steam tank to prevent it running again.
That ill-fated train was the last to try to cross the Demilitarized Zone that divides the peninsula, which has remained in a state of conflict since the 1953 ceasefire that ended the Korean War.
Today, trains crossed the heavily fortified border shortly after leaving on test runs along two restored tracks on the west and east sides of the peninsula.
"It is not simply a test run. It means reconnecting the severed bloodline of our people. It means that the heart of the Korean peninsula is beating again," South Korean Unification Minister Lee Jae-joung said at Munsan station, 12 kilometres south of the Demilitarized Zone, before boarding the train.
North Korean Councillor Kwon Ho Ung said the two Koreas "should not be derailed from the track or hesitate" in their moves toward unification.
The tests include two five-car trains with 150 people aboard. Both trains will return later today after spending a few hours on the opposite side.
The two Koreas resumed efforts at rapprochement after North Korea agreed in February to take initial steps to dismantle its nuclear weapons programs.
Associated Press
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