Koreas Agree to Open Roads, Hotline
2003-09-19
The two Koreas on Wednesday agreed to start using the main cross-border roads on the east and west coasts of the peninsula, which will link the divided nation for the first time in half a century.
At a working-level meeting between military officials in Panmunjeom, the two sides also agreed to establish a hotline in the Donghae Line zone in the east, in addition to the one that exists for the Gyeongui Line already.
“We agreed not to use makeshift roads anymore and use parts of the main roads instead, because the construction there is near completion,” a Defense Ministry official said on Thursday.
Since earlier this year, automobiles have started traveling on the inter-Korean roads to shuttle construction materials for the railway and for select occasions, such as family reunions. The roads, which run parallel to the railways, are linking the two Koreas for the first time since the 1950-1953 Korean War.
The two sides also agreed to build two checkpoints along the roads being built, one in the southern part of the Demilitarized Zone and the other on the northern side.
“We expect the highways to be fully paved by the end of this year,” Unification Minister Jeong Se-hyun said.
The highway running adjacent to the Gyeongui Line, which will eventually serve as the route connecting the two Koreas' capitals, are four lanes wide. The one along the Donghae Line will have two lanes.
Source : www.korea.net
