Wants Putin Korean Rail to Help Russia's Far EastAugust 23, 2002
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Putin Wants Korean Rail to Help Russia's Far East By REUTERS Filed at 10:12 a.m. ET VLADIVOSTOK, Russia (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin pressed North Korea on Friday to forge a new Asia-Europe freight route by extending Russia's trans-Siberian railway across the Korean peninsula to bypass China. Putin, speaking after almost four hours of talks with North Korea's reclusive Kim Jong-il, said the new link would help
revitalize Russia's depressed and underpopulated far east. The encounter outside the city of Vladivostok comes at an important political juncture with communist North Korea and industrialized South Korea edging closer to each other after almost half a century of icy stand-off. Under Putin, Russia is actively courting Pyongyang after a cool period immediately after the Cold War. The United States, while bracketing North Korea part of an ``axis of evil,'' is keen to reach a deal with Pyongyang to stop it developing nuclear weapons. Last year's tentative rapprochement between the two Koreas paved the way for a re-opening of a trans-Korean railway that has been closed for transit traffic since their 1950-53 war. ``We spoke, as before, mainly about bilateral relations with an accent on the economic theme, relating to the possibility of linking the trans-Siberian with the Korean railroad,'' Putin told reporters. ``We looked at the details.'' Earlier, Putin told regional leaders Russia needed the freight link from the peninsula to Europe to cross Russia's far eastern region instead of taking a short cut across China and joining the trans-Siberian further to the west. ``If we don't link it up here...it will still go ahead -- but through the territory of our dearly loved China,'' neighbor Putin warned them. Moscow stands to reap billions of dollars in transit fees once North Korea opens its part of the railway and South Korean goods start pouring to Europe across Russia. Russia's huge trans-Siberian railway, stretching from Europe to Asia, has remained largely idle since the collapse of communism. Reopening the closed line across North Korea would link Russia to Asia's economic powerhouses. KIM AVOIDS PRESS The press-shy Kim, who rarely travels outside his hermit state where he is wrapped in a mystical personality cult, was ushered away from his talks with the Kremlin leader avoiding any confrontation with the press. Putin said Moscow would continue to try to reduce tensions on the divided peninsula. ``Russia has helped and will continue to do its best to contribute to a settlement on the Korean peninsula,'' he told journalists. ``There are positive elements (in the talks between Seoul and Pyongyang) and, in any case, North Korea's goodwill is obvious.'' Kim, who enjoys god-like status at home where he is known as the Dear Leader, hates flying and arrived in Russia, as last year, by armored express. Back in Pyongyang, the official media sustained his image of a miracle-worker, telling his people Friday that on his trip to Russia last year his very presence had chased away rain clouds. His fabled powers, however, failed Friday when torrential rain met him on arrival at Vladivostok rail station, forcing him to skip a scheduled welcome by Russian officials. He darted into a limousine and sped off. Washington remains unea...