Former PM Discloses April Conversation with Russian Official

Details that North Korea recently agreed with Russia to open Najin Port to foreign ships have emerged amid talks of the possible joint development of the railway between Najin, North Korea and Hassan, Russia.

It is also rumored that Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Il agreed to go ahead with plans to link the Trans-Siberian Railroad (TSR) and Trans-Korea Railway (TKR).

Former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook, who visited Russia to attend the funeral of former Russian President Boris Yeltsin late April, said on Monday that she learned of the following during a meeting with President Vladimir Yakunin of the Russian Railways Company.

According to former Prime Minister Han, Yakunin said that Russia and North Korea agreed to allow foreign ships to enter Najin Port and went on to say that the two nations are planning to attract foreign investment to establish a joint venture. According to Yakunin, railway companies and logistics companies in Germany, Italy, and Finland shows interest for this.

Yakunin reportedly said that Vice President Aleksei Mersianov of the Russian Railways Company visited North Korea to learn how many container terminals are available in Najin. He also said that Vice President Mersianov signed a memorandum of understanding on pursuing the modernization of the Najin-Hassan railway and the foundation of a Russia-North Korea joint venture.

According to former Prime Minister Han, at the time, Russia was pursuing the linkage of the TKR and TSR as a result of an agreement between the heads of the Russian and North Korean governments. She also said that if the Korean government chose to participate in these efforts that the Najin-Hassan railway could be extended and that this project would aid the improvement of South-North relations and unification. She remarked that this is an important project that will have its place in Korean politics and history.

Najin Port is one of Northeast Asia’s top five ports and can process four million TEUs (Twenty-Foot Equivalent Unit) in one year.

“The Najin-Busan port seaway is now partially open to ships that received permission to dock. We will have to wait to see for sure, but the agreement between Russia and North Korea implies that more piers will be built now that China’s 50-year rights will be extended to Russia and other foreign countries,” a government official said on North Korea’s opening of Najin Port to foreigners.

Meanwhile, Maritime Affairs & Fisheries Minister Kang Moo-hyun said last month during an interview that freight distances from the top three major Northeast Chinese cities could be shortened by more than one thousand km if they are shipped to Korea via Najin Port instead of Dalian Port.

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