[News Issue] The Symbol of Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation: 'Gyeongui Line and Donghae Line'

North Korea has permanently sealed off roads and railways connecting to South Korea by blowing them up. The land routes connecting the two Koreas include the Gyeongui Line, Donghae Line, Hwaseolmori Hill, and the Joint Security Area (JSA) at Panmunjom. North Korea has detonated parts of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) on the Gyeongui Line and Donghae Line connecting roads. The Gyeongui and Donghae Lines symbolize inter-Korean exchange and cooperation, making this demolition significant as it implies a 'breakdown in inter-Korean relations.'

The Gyeongui and Donghae Lines that North Korea destroyed were roads connecting the west and east sides of the Korean Peninsula, respectively.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Gyeongui Line is a 499 km railway stretching from Seoul Station through Paju, Kaesong, Pyongyang, to Sinuiju, which was used by business personnel of the Kaesong Industrial Complex to travel between the two Koreas. The Donghae Line, also known as the East Sea Northern Line, connects a 180 km section from Yangyang to Wonsan. Mount Kumgang is included in this section. Vehicles for Mount Kumgang tourism and separated family reunions traveled via the Donghae Line.

The reconnection of the Gyeongui and Donghae railway lines, severed by the division of the Koreas, along with the accompanying land roads, had been regarded as a symbol of inter-Korean reconciliation and cooperation. After the first inter-Korean summit between President Kim Dae-jung and National Defense Commission Chairman Kim Jong-il in 2000, both Koreas agreed on connecting the Gyeongui and Donghae Lines and held a groundbreaking ceremony in September 2002. The Gyeongui Line railway was completed by the end of 2003, and in 2005, the section from Goseong Jejin to Kumgangsan Station on the Donghae Line was connected.

However, under the Lee Myung-bak administration, the project faced setbacks due to incidents such as the shooting of Mount Kumgang tourists and North Korea's nuclear tests and missile provocations.

In 2018, the Moon Jae-in administration reached an agreement with North Korea on railway and road connection and modernization projects and held another groundbreaking ceremony, but actual operations never commenced due to continued provocations by North Korea. At that time, Presidential Chief of Staff Im Jong-seok posted on social media, "The joint survey project for inter-Korean railway connection has been granted exemption from UN sanctions. This precious achievement was made possible through inter-Korean agreement and patience, as well as close cooperation between South Korea and the United States." He added, "If progress is made alongside denuclearization, by 2022, we might be able to take the Gyeongui Line to Sinuiju, transfer at Dandong, and go to Beijing to cheer for the Winter Olympics."

The expectation that this would become the 'Iron Silk Road' has been severed by North Korea's recent demolition.

On the 9th, the General Staff of the North Korean People's Army announced, "We will completely cut off the roads and railways connected to the Republic of Korea on our side and proceed with fortification work by constructing solid defensive structures."

According to the government, from 2002 to 2008, $132.9 million in in-kind loans were provided for the Gyeongui and Donghae railway and land route connection projects. Based on current exchange rates, this amounts to 180 billion won. Although nominally 'loaned money,' North Korea has never repaid this amount.