Gangneung~Berlin 610,000 Won Honorary Train Tickets Distributed... Restarting Inter-Korean Railway Connection

Panoramic view of Jejin Station in Goseong-gun, Gangwon Province, where the Donghae Bukbu Line promotion ceremony was held on the 27th

On the 27th, marking the 2nd anniversary of the Panmunjom Declaration, the government will fully launch the inter-Korean railway connection project.

The Ministry of Unification and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport held a 'Commemoration Ceremony for the Promotion of the Donghae Northern Line (Gangneung?Goseong Jejin)' at Jejin Station in Goseong County, Gangwon Province, on the morning of the same day. The Donghae Northern Line is a longitudinal railway connecting Gangneung to Jejin Station, which has been severed since the route was discontinued in 1967, and is expected to be restored for the first time in 53 years through this ceremony.

The Donghae Northern Line Gangneung?Jejin railway construction project was recognized as an inter-Korean cooperation project at the 313th Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Promotion Council held on the 23rd, and the preliminary feasibility study was exempted on the 24th in accordance with the 'National Finance Act.'

This project covers a total distance of 110.9 km from Namgangneung Station through Gangneung Station to Jejin Station and will be constructed as a single-track electrified railway. The total project cost is approximately 2.852 trillion KRW.

Once the severed Donghae Line railway is fully connected through this project, it is expected to establish a foundation for inter-Korean economic cooperation and the East Sea economic zone, as well as strengthen the nation's logistics competitiveness.

Additionally, it is anticipated to promote the influx of domestic and international tourists through East Sea region tourism and future resumption of inter-Korean tourism such as the Mount Kumgang tours, improve transportation convenience for local residents, and contribute to national balanced development through regional economic revitalization.

In the future, if the inter-Korean railway connection is realized and further linked with the Trans-Siberian Railway (TSR) network, human and material movement from Busan to Berlin, Germany will become possible.

On the 27th, weeds were overgrown at the old Donghae Bukbu Line Baebong Tunnel in Myeongpa-ri, Hyeonnae-myeon, Goseong-gun. On the same day, Kim Yeon-cheol, Minister of Unification, Kim Hyun-mi, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Kwon Gu-hoon, Chairman of the Northern Economic Cooperation Committee, and Choi Moon-soon, Governor of Gangwon Province, visited the site to inspect the Donghae Bukbu Line railway project.

In fact, at Jejin Station on the same day, honorary tickets for travel from Gangneung Station to Berlin were distributed. Although not currently valid, they symbolically represent a future that can soon be realized.

The ticket is named the 'Donghae Northern Line Promotion Commemorative Ticket,' with a face value of 615,427 KRW. The destination on the ticket is marked as 'Gangneung → Jejin → Wonsan → Berlin.'

Kim Eun-ji, a second-year student at Daejin High School in Goseong County who received a Berlin-bound ticket at the ceremony, said, "It seems better because I can travel without taking a plane," and added, "If the railway is connected, I think unification can happen, and inter-Korean relations might improve."

Han Myeong-cheol, chairman of the Hyunnae-myeon Prosperity Association in Goseong County, who attended as a resident representative, said, "Residents of Goseong have long awaited the railway connection from Gangneung to Jejin," and added, "If the railway is connected to North Korea, it can be seen as almost unification of our country. I ask for early commencement and completion of the construction."

On the 27th, at Jejin Station in Goseong-gun, Gangwon Province, Kim Hyun-mi, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and Kim Yeon-chul, Minister of Unification, are signing a sleeper at the commemorative ceremony for the promotion of the Donghae Bukbu Line.

The ceremony was attended by about 150 people including Kim Yeon-chul, Minister of Unification; Kim Hyun-mi, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport; Choi Moon-soon, Governor of Gangwon Province; and heads of government, local governments, and related organizations.

In his commemorative speech, Minister Kim said, "The construction of the Donghae Northern Line is a 'Korean Peninsula New Deal' project that will inject vitality into our economy," and added, "The East Sea economic zone, one of the central axes of the Korean Peninsula New Economic Map, will be completed, opening an East Coast era connecting the continent and the ocean."

He particularly reminded that the day marked the 2nd anniversary of the 'Panmunjom Declaration' and clearly expressed his intention to accelerate various inter-Korean cooperation projects using the Donghae Northern Line project as a momentum.

He said, "The government is steadily pushing forward things that can be done immediately to quickly fulfill the promises of the inter-Korean leaders again and to open an era of peace economy on the Korean Peninsula," and added, "We want to fully bloom the flower of peace economy starting from the border areas where the two Koreas face each other. The first step is the construction of the Donghae Northern Line."

He continued, "When the Donghae Northern Line, the Donghae Central Line currently under construction, and the Donghae Southern Line already in operation are connected, the lifeline of the East Sea economic zone, one of the central axes of the Korean Peninsula New Economic Map, will finally be completed," emphasizing, "(The East Sea economy) will open a new East Coast era."

Minister Kim Hyun-mi said in her congratulatory speech, "This project not only contributes to national balanced development but also prepares for inter-Korean railway cooperation. As it is a long-standing regional wish, we plan to complete the basic plan by the end of this year and proceed with construction by the end of next year at a rapid pace, linking it with ongoing construction projects such as the single-track electrified railway from Pohang to Samcheok to create synergy."

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Ministry of Unification held a 'Donghae Bukbu Line Promotion Ceremony' on the 27th at Jejin Station in Goseong-gun, Gangwon Province, below the Demilitarized Zone. The event was attended by Kim Hyun-mi, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Kim Yeon-chul, Minister of Unification, and Choi Moon-soon, Governor of Gangwon Province.

The Donghae Bukbu Line is a longitudinal railway connecting Gangneung to Jejin Station. The line was discontinued in 1967 and has remained disconnected until now. This ceremony marks the prospect of its restoration after 53 years.

Photo by Donghae Bukbu Line Gangneung-Jejin Construction Project.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.