Railway test runs
Korea Herald
5/12/2007
South and North Korea have agreed to guarantee security for test runs on cross-border rail connections. The accord will make it possible for trains to resume operations across the Demilitarized Zone after the Korean War stopped the railway service more than five decades ago.
But South Korea may not be 100 percent assured that the test runs will proceed as scheduled, given that North Korean commitments have more often than not proved unreliable. Actually, North Korea withdrew its security guarantee on the eve of the railway test runs that had been scheduled for May 25 last year.
Moreover, the security accord is flawed because it will not apply to commercial operations that will follow the test runs. South and North Korea will have to negotiate enduring rules governing inter-Korea railway transportation in the near future.
At the four-day general-level talks that ended on Friday, the North Korean military withheld a security guarantee for commercial operations for the incomprehensible reason that construction of a southern part of the eastern rail link has yet to be completed. Given that the part in question could be reconnected anytime, the North Korean military no doubt has ulterior motives, including extracting concessions from the South in exchange for a security guarantee.
It goes without saying that North Korea is misguided in refusing to guarantee security for commercial operations. It is North Korea that stands to benefit much more from the rail connections.
But South Korea should also be held accountable for the North’s irresponsible behavior. It made the wrong decision when it decided to provide the North with $80 million worth of intermediate materials for the manufacture of necessities and 400,000 tons of rice in exchange for railway test runs.
When negotiating the terms of commercial operations next time, South Korea will have to avoid making similar mistakes. It has no reason to accept being played for a fool when offering a helping hand.
