Military to remove mines for rail line

The Defense Ministry announced on September 7 that it would dispatch military personnel to help remove landmines in areas along the Demilitarized Zone for the projected reconstruction of the Gyeungeui Line, which will link Seoul with Shineuiju, North Korea.

The plan calls for removing mines on a 12-kilometer route between Munsan and Jangdan Station and a 4.1-kilometer section between the northern end of Freedom Bridge and Jangdan Station, along with roadbed-building work.

Also, the army will engage in removal of landmines laid underground along the 5.1-kilometer route between the entrance of Tongil village and the military demarcation line for construction of a new Munsan-Gaeseong road. The work in the southern part of the Imjin River will be carried out by the Ministry of Construction and Transportation.

All in all, removal of mines will be carried out for 240,000 square meters of area for restoration of the Gyeungeui Line, 320,000 square meters of area for the construction of a road. A total of 2,739 soldiers in eight battalions will be sent to the site for removal of mines and construction work.

Ministry officials said that the removal of mines along the Gyeungeui Line and base works for the railway will be completed by March and May next year respectively. Mine-removal and roadbed-building will be finished by March and June.

Therefore, all work will be completed before September 2001. The total cost of the work is estimated at about 32.5 billion won.

Hwang Yoo-Seong yshwang@donga.com