April 25, 2024

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[THE INVESTOR] LEIPZIG (Germany) -- Although US President Donald Trump’s recent flip-flop on a planned summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un took participants at the 2018 International Transport Forum by surprise, most expected and hoped for peace on the Korean Peninsula.

“The inter-Korea relationship seems like a roller-coaster ride, but we are heading toward a peaceful direction,” Kim Young-tae, ITF secretary-general and former official at the Korean Transport Ministry told The Investor on the sidelines of the meeting.

 

Kim Young-tae, ITF secretary-general

He added that when South Korea co-hosts next year’s forum, entitled “Transport Connectivity for Regional Integration,” it should be able to push North Korean-related issues to the top of the agenda.

“Next year is also Germany’s 30th anniversary of reunification,” he pointed out. “Korea will have lots of options to cooperate with Germany.”

Korean Transport Minister Kim Hyun-mee who was at this year’s forum expressed her determination to make something out of the next year’s event.

“I came mainly because Korea is hosting the event next year,” Kim noted, although she did make a quick exit immediately after the Opening Plenary of the 2018 event. “Given the recent turn of events, we believe inter-Korean railways will steal the show.”

German Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer said he is willing to share German’s know-how and insights on reunification. “I would wish for the (Korean) situation to improve, and once it does, Germany is willing to help Korea in the process,” he said.

ITF is an inter-governmental organization under OECD, which researches transport policies and solutions as a think-tank. It also organizes an annual forum in May to present the findings and encourage talks between transport ministers.

Furthermore, Kim Yeon-myeong, vice president of Korea Transport Institute, who also worked for ITF, suggested some inter-Korean railway related issues that should be discussed during the forum in 2019. “It would be nice if ministers can share opinions about matters like how to connect the railways with different gauges and what measure should be taken to improve the railways in North Korea,” he said.

He added that ITF is the right place to discuss such matters because it is an organization that has experience in dealing with similar matters. “The organization has experience in assisting European countries to restore their railway network after World War II, before the organization’s name was changed from European Conference of Ministers of Transport.”

Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology also showed its support by presenting the North Korea related infrastructure testing site in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province, near the border between both countries, at its exhibit booth.

“Although it has not been completed yet. It will be a place in South Korea where we can test the infrastructure status under the same environmental conditions as North Korea,” KICT researcher Jang Jin-hwan said. Additionally, KICT President Han Seung-heon also signed a letter of intent with ITF on May 27 for further cooperation.

Nevertheless, since North Korea is not a member of ITF, there are questions on how effective much meaningful suggestions will be. The ITF secretary-general said North Korea can become a member of ITF, but it would not be easy. In order for it to become a member, the country needs the approval of all 59 member countries, without a single veto.

To complement North Korea’s absence, he said that ITF is considering forming a network with other organizations. “There are regional entities and sector-specific entities. So instead of trying to do everything on our own, we are also thinking of collaborating with others.”

By Song Seung-hyun (ssh@heraldcorp.com)