Koreas to jointly examine road conditions

SEOUL, Aug. 1 (Yonhap) -- South and North Korea plan to begin joint work to examine the conditions of their roads next week as part of efforts to modernize and possibly connect them over their border, the unification ministry in Seoul said Wednesday.

The on-site inspection work will be conducted from Aug. 10-30 on the roads running in their western region and those along the eastern coast of the Korean Peninsula, according to the ministry.

In their June working-level talks, the two Koreas agreed to work together in modernizing the North's Kaesong-Pyongyang section of the roads in the western region and the Goseong-Wonsan route along the east coast.

South Korea will send five officials, including a senior transportation ministry official, to the North for the cooperative work, the ministry said.

The plan is in line with stepped-up inter-Korean cooperation under way since their leaders held their historic summit in April and promised to pursue expanded cross-border exchanges and contacts.

The two Koreas have been working on cooperation in diverse areas, including roads, railways, forestry and sports in line with the summit agreement.

kokobj@yna.co.kr
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