South Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) reached a six-point agreement Friday on the details of reconstruction of the two railways across their heavily fortified border, according to the South Korean Ministry of Unification.

According to the agreement, which came at the end of a two-day working-level meeting in the DPRK's near border city of Kaesong on Friday, South Korea is to start providing construction materials to the DPRK from October.

South Korea will also finish drawing up communications, electricity and signal systems for the two railroads under construction and send the final designs to the DPRK by the end of October.

The two countries previously agreed to re-link Gyongnui (Seoul-Sinuiju) railway and its adjacent road and Donghae railway and its adjacent road as soon as possible.

Several teams of southern engineers will be dispatched to the DPRK in the coming September to provide their DPRK's counterparts with expertise on construction.

"The agreement has paved the way for pursuing the reconnection project in a stable and sustainable way," the ministry commented in a statement.
 
(Xinhua News Agency August 23, 2003)