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North Korea on Wednesday unilaterally called off the planned test run of cross-border railways, a day before it was scheduled.
The North canceled the planned test run citing the absence of military guarantees of safe passage and ¡°unstable conditions in the South,¡± according to a Unification Ministry official. A government official said it appeared the North¡¯s powerful military stubbornly opposed the plan.
It seems the reason behind that resistance was ire at the South¡¯s refusal to re-draw the de-facto sea border in the West Sea, the Northern Limit Line, at recent talks between top brass from the two sides. A government official said Pyongyang gave notice on Tuesday afternoon saying ¡°no issue¡± can be solved without addressing fundamental matters such as preventing military clashes in the West Sea, and it is ¡°unacceptable to seek a military guarantee of safe passages for cross-border railways without mutual agreement.¡± Seoul had earlier said it would ignore the matter and simply notify the North of the passengers who are to travel on the train since the test run was agreed at ministerial level.
The defense and unification ministries held an emergency meeting on Wednesday, which concluded they will wait for a final response from the North.
Vice Unification Minister Shin Un-sang said in a statement it was ¡°unreasonable¡± for the North to cite conditions in the South as a justification for calling off the scheduled test. ¡°We make it clear that the North is 100 percent responsible for canceling the planned test run of cross-border railways,¡± it said. A government official added the South will discuss how to respond while maintaining existing channels of inter-Korean dialogue.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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