Lee says willing to talk to N. Korea over Russian rail link

MOSCOW, Sept. 29 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak said Monday
that he is willing to discuss with North Korea about a South Korean-Russian bid
to link the trans-Korean railway, or TKR, with Russia's trans-Siberian railway,
known as the TSR, for its eventual connection to Europe.

Lee made the remark in his meeting with Russian journalists here after agreeing
with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev at a Kremlin summit to work together
continuously to link the TKR and the TSR. Lee and Medvedev formally recognized
the importance of the railroad link project in their 10-point joint summit
statement.
"North Korea is expected to show an interest in the proposed rail link between
South Korea and Russia via the North, due to its considerable economic effects.
The project will be helpful to North Korea because it simply requires an overhaul
of its railways, instead of the construction of new railways," Lee was quoted by
his spokesperson as saying at the meeting.
"Russia may first sound North Korea out about the rail link. I will also talk to
North Korea over the issue if chances are given," said Lee.
Lee said in a public address in Moscow earlier Monday that the railway link
between the two Koreas and Europe via Russia would help boost global peace and
ease tensions in Northeast Asia, as well as on the Korean Peninsula, while
halving the freight transportation time between South Korea and Europe to 20
days.
The president then expressed deep concern about food shortage in North Korea.
"The people in (South) Korea lament North Korea's chronic food shortage problem.
North Korea should be able to stand alone at least in terms of food supply. In
that sense, I'm ready to help North Korea," said Lee.
"North Korea can achieve its economic independence very rapidly if it can abandon
nuclear weapons and open itself to the outside world."