Troops for Kyongui line restoration

The government will mobilize special military troops to assist in the restoration of the destroyed Kyongui railway linking Seoul and Sinuiju by clearing mines along the severed rail line. A government official said on August 4 that the success of the restoration project depends mainly on the elimination of the mines.

He said clearing mines would be a necessity as the Kyongui railway passes through the Military Demarcation Line. Therefore, construction work will not be launched until all the mines are removed.

The Ministry of Defense will mobilize special troops to build beds for the railroads and the Ministry of Construction and Transportation will then lay the railroad tracks.

The government decided to employ military troops to get rid of the mines because this cannot be allotted to the private sector and the North also plans to involve its soldiers in the restoration work.

The severed section of the Kyongui line stretches a total of 20 kilometers. The southern part spans 12 kilometers, from Sonyu-ri, Munsan, to Changdan Station.

Government sources said that more than 1 million mines are buried in the area north of the civilian passage control line and the demilitarized zone, and some of them are presumed to be buried in the area the Kyongui line runs through.

According to data submitted by the Ministry of Defense to the National Assembly Defense Committee, a total of 1.05 million mines were buried in the front lines since the Korean War and there are around 75,000 anti-personnel mines in rear areas to defend major military bases.

A military official said he expects the South and the North will be able to build mutual trust by jointly launching an effort to clear mines for the restoration of the Kyongui railway.