North and South Korea agree to reconnect roads and railways

North and South Korean delegations met Monday and reached a number of agreements to further the thaw in relations between Pyongyang and Seoul. Chief among them is a plan to reconnect roads and railways severed when the Korean Peninsula was split in half by war more than half a century ago.

South Korea’s Unification Ministry reported Monday it will share details of the arrangement with the United States and will work with other nations to avoid running afoul of international sanctions against North Korea tied to its nuclear weapons program. A groundbreaking ceremony will be held later this year for work on the Gyeongui railroad line, which once connected Seoul and Sinuiju, a North Korean city on the Chinese border.

Other topics in Monday's talks included fielding a joint Olympic team in 2020, making a bid to cohost the Olympics in 2032, and reuniting elderly people with family members stuck on the opposite side of the demilitarized zone (DMZ). Potential for further progress in the economic and political arenas is limited until North Korea makes movements toward denuclearization that result in the easing of international sanctions.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up