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DMZ rail push
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 through plans to reconnect South Korea’s northernmost station to the rail network.
“North Korea then fired about 10 short-range ballistic missiles on Thursday”
Work began in 2015 but ground to a halt just a year later after North Korea’s fourth nuclear test, and the modest station—inside the Demilitarized Zone—was destroyed during the 1950-1953 Korean War before being reconstructed at its site in the border town of Cheorwon in 1988.
The latest reboot comes as Pyongyang ignores Seoul’s overtures while the South’s old ally Washington pursues its own talks with Pyongyang, and US President Donald Trump scaled back annual military drills with Seoul this week, calling them “inappropriate and hostile” toward the North.
North Korea then fired about 10 short-range ballistic missiles on Thursday, while Kim’s powerful sister mocked Seoul’s “master-servant” relationship with Washington.
South Korea’s reconciliation program aims to restore rail links with the North, and Lee Jae-myung has said he is ready for talks with Pyongyang without preconditions, including on formally ending the Korean War, which concluded with an armistice.
Skepticism and diplomacy
In Cheorwon, some residents view the railway project as impractical, with resident Moon Jae-yong saying, “It seems like they keep trying to reconcile with North Korea [through the railway project], but from our point of view, it isn’t really practical,”.
The AFP account quoted Vladimir Tikhonov, Korean Studies professor at the University of Oslo, saying, “So, Seoul is desperate to get some opening with North Korea. But it can do very little, so far.”
The Taipei Times described how a turbulent few days raised doubts about the role of South Korea in any diplomatic push, despite Lee Jae-myung’s dovish line on the North since taking power last year.
It also reported that Lee voiced respect for Trump’s decision and pledged to “do his utmost” to support his peacemaking efforts.
The South Korea reconciliation effort is further framed by Pyongyang’s stance that it has declared itself an “irreversible” nuclear state and labeled Seoul its “most hostile” enemy.
What’s at stake
Along the disused line from Woljeong-ri toward Baengmagoji Station to the south—the section to be restored under the peace project—vegetation crowds both sides of the tracks, nearly swallowing a stone wall.
“We want to be back on track”
A sign reads, “The iron horse wants to run,” alongside a phrase in English: “We want to be back on track,” as the project also aims to boost tourism along the border where residents face frequent disruptions and security risks.
The ASHARQ AL-AWSAT account said Pyongyang sent trash-filled balloons and broadcast unsettling noises across the border during the administration of Lee’s hawkish predecessor, Yoon Suk Yeol, and Kim Sun-hee described the noises as “like scraping cement, or even ghost-like noises. It was really frightening”.
The Taipei Times noted that a bombed-out locomotive from the Korean War remains near Woljeong-ri Station as a reminder of the division, and visitor Ahn Seung-hyun said it was “heartbreaking to see.”
Lim Eul-chul of Kyungnam University told AFP that preparing infrastructure in the South now could save time if inter-Korean links are eventually restored, but he said, “But realistically, it is virtually impossible under the current circumstances, and everyone knows that,”.