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A new curtain of peace: Seoul

P. S. Suryanarayana

Leaders of rival Koreas express peace hopes

SINGAPORE: A South Korean Minister, Lee Yong-sup, on Thursday hailed North Korea for unfurling "a new curtain of peace." The political message was that North Korea was now abandoning its old "bamboo curtain," for long a symbol of Western perceptions about that country's "lack of transparency."

The occasion for unveiling this new political idiom was the successful test run of two trains across the demilitarised zone that still divides the Korean peninsula. A North Korean leader, Kwon Ho-ung, pledged to ensure that the new "train of unification" would stay the course along a "track" of inter-Korean cooperation.

The two Koreas had agreed, a few days ago, to ensure no-fire security along the fortified zone during the test run of a train in each direction. There was no immediate word from either side on the issue of commencing, if at all, regular train services between the two countries following the latest test run. The rail link was disrupted during the 1950-53 Korean War, and the tracks, one each along the western and eastern corridors of the narrow zone, were restored after the 2000 inter-Korean summit. However, several issues, including North Korea's ballistic missile tests and nuclear weapons test, prevented the two countries from carrying out trial runs of trains. Eventually, the six-party accord of February 13 on the North Korean nuclear issue served as the backdrop for renewed negotiations and the latest test run.

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