BEIJING (Yonhap) ― The head of South Korea’s state rail company headed home on Monday after making a rare week-long visit to North Korea where she attended an international conference concerning transportation between Europe and Asia.
Choi Yeon-hye, president and CEO of the Korea Railroad Corp., and other officials arrived at the Beijing Capital International Airport earlier in the day from Pyongyang en route to South Korea, a KORAIL official who accompanied Choi said by telephone.
The KORAIL official, who asked not to be named, declined to give details, including what topics Choi discussed during the Pyongyang meeting of the Organization for Co-Operation between Railways.
Before departing for North Korea on April 21, Choi told reporters in Beijing that she would ask the OSJD to allow South Korea to win a formal membership. In March this year, South Korea became an associate member of the international rail body.
North Korea, China and Russia are formal members of the organization.
Choi’s visit, which came at a tense time when North Korea has threatened to conduct a fourth nuclear test, drew attention because she may discuss a plan to link South Korea’s railway with Russia’s trans-Siberian railway via North Korea.
South Korea has long talked about bringing to fruition the ambitious rail project, though it has made little progress due to political and security tensions in the region.
