ROK, DPRK agree to hold groundbreaking ceremony for rail, road connection

SEOUL - The Republic of Korea (ROK) and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) agreed on Thursday to hold a groundbreaking ceremony later this month for railway and road connections across the inter-Korean border, Seoul's unification ministry said.

The ceremony, which ROK President Moon Jae-in and top DPRK leader Kim Jong-un agreed to hold before the end of this year during their third summit in Pyongyang in September, will be held on Dec 26 at the Panmun Station in the DPRK's border town of Kaesong.

About 100 respective officials from the ROK and the DPRK would attend the ceremony. The two sides agreed to discuss details further, according to Seoul's unification ministry.

The agreement was reached after working-level talks between the two sides at Kaesong earlier in the day.

ROK President Moon Jae-in and top DPRK leader Kim Jong-un agreed during their Pyongyang summit in September to hold the groundbreaking ceremony before the end of this year.

Moon and Kim agreed to modernize and eventually connect railways and roads across the inter-Korean border after their first summit in April at the border village of Panmunjom.

The two Koreas launched an 18-day joint inspection on the DPRK's railways on Nov 30, and they have already conducted a joint survey of roads along the western Korean Peninsula.