DPRK, ROK agree to promote economic cooperation

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Republic of Korea agreed on June 5 to begin the operation of an experimental industrial zone and trial train service of inter-Korean railways within this year.

At the 9th meeting of the North-South Committee for the Promotion of Economic Cooperation on June 2-5 in Pyongyang, Choe Yong Gon, DPRK's vice construction minister, and Kim Gwang-rim, Republic of Korea's vice finance and economy minister, discussed the issues of boosting the inter-Korean economic cooperation in the spirit of the June 15 North-South Joint Declaration.

Both sides agreed to complete the construction of an experimental district of 3.3 million square meters inside the Kaesong Industrial Zone and start operation by the end of the yearunder an agreement adopted after the four-day meeting.

The economic talks coincided with an inter-Korean general-level military talks in Republic of Korea with an agreement to avoid accidental armed clashes in the disputed Northern Limit Line (NLL)in the Yellow Sea.

The two sides also agreed, according to the accord, to test run two re-linked railways on the east and west coasts, and open two roads running along the railways in October.

"The DPRK and Republic of Korea shall start in October this year the train service on a trial basis in the possible sections upon which an agreement had already been reached," said the agreement.

Meanwhile, they vowed to effectuate the North-South agreement on maritime transport signed between them as soon as possible, and discuss the time for the passage of ships from both sides through territorial waters.

Republic of Korea also agreed to provide 400,000 tons of rice in aid to the DPRK.

According to the agreement, the tenth round of the inter-Korean economic talks was set to be held in Seoul from Aug. 31 to Sept. 3.

Source: Xinhua