First train in over 50 years crosses Korean DMZ

First train in over 50 years crosses Korean DMZ

I’d heard some people talk about train links between North and South Korea when I was there last month, and now, it’s finally happened.

For the first time since the Korean War that a train has crossed the DMZ.

Yes, it’s historic and emotional and all that, but really, as Reuters points out, this deal is all about the money:

To entice the North to allow the historic rail crossing, Seoul has offered $80 million in aid for its light industries.

Eventually, South Korea wants to send passengers and cargo via its neighbor into China and Russia and link with the Trans-Siberian railway.

Export-dependent South Korea could see huge savings in moving cargo if North Korea allowed the rail link to develop.

The links it rebuilt are designed to help serve two projects in the North.

One is a mountain resort built by an affiliate of the Hyundai Group where South Koreans can visit. The other is a factory park where companies from the South use cheap North Korean labor and land to make goods.

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