Rail cargo resumes between two Koreas

SEOUL, Dec. 11 (UPI) -- A South Korean cargo train entered North Korea on Tuesday for the first time in 54 years to the applause of officials from both countries.

South Korean Unification Minister Lee Jae-joung and some 100 other government officials traveled to the North Korean train station at Kaesong for a ceremony to mark the movement of raw materials and goods between South Korea and a joint industrial complex in Kaesong, where some 50 South Korean businesses operate, the Yonhap news agency reported.

The Kaesong facility requires about 12,000 tons of material per month and the South Korean trains are capable of carrying 10,000 pounds per trip, officials said.

In early October, the rail cargo link was agreed upon during talks between South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.

Limited road access between the two countries, which fought from 1950-53 and are still in a technical state of war, was re-established in 2000 after a summit between South Korea President Kim Dae-jung and Kim.