Why South Korea wants to rebuild a DMZ railway despite Kim’s cold shoulder

Advertisement Why South Korea wants to rebuild a DMZ railway despite Kim’s cold shoulder With Washington and Pyongyang talking over its head, Seoul is rebooting a border railway to keep its lonely diplomacy on track 3-MIN READ3-MIN Listen Near the heavily fortified frontier dividing the Korean peninsula, the abandoned Woljeong-ri station is being recast as a symbol of South Korea’s hopes to reconcile with the North. But plans to reconnect South Korea’s northernmost station to the rail network come at an awkward moment, as Pyongyang ignores Seoul’s overtures while the South’s old ally Washington pursues its own talks with Pyongyang. A turbulent few days have raised doubts about the role of South Korea in any diplomatic push, despite President Lee Jae Myung’s dovish line on the North since taking power last year. US President Donald Trump abruptly scaled back annual military drills with Seoul this week, calling them “inappropriate and hostile” towards the nuclear-armed North. He also berated South Korea for not helping in his war against Iran and said he would meet the North’s leader Kim Jong-un this year. Advertisement Select Voice Select Speed 1.00x [Image text:] The Northernmost Point We want to be back on track