Trilateral Rail Project to Dominate S.Korea-Russia Talks

South Korea's possible participation in a joint railway project between Russia and North Korea will largely dominate the upcoming summit between President Park Geun-hye and her Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

Running between Russia's eastern border town of Khasan and the North Korean port city of Rajin, the 54-km railroad is part of Putin's goal of turning Russia into a major transit route for trade between East Asia and Europe.

The Russian leader has been calling for Seoul's participation in the project -- most recently in September at the G20 summit in St. Petersburg -- and the two sides are expected to strike a deal this week.

The two leaders are also expected to discuss other forms of trilateral cooperation, including the construction of a gas pipeline running through Russia and North Korea to South Korea, as well as a similar project to build a three-way power line.

The discussions come at a time when Seoul is seeking Moscow's help in persuading its northern neighbor to give up its nuclear ambitions.