Seoul is in the process of resuming a number of economic projects with Pyongyang, South Korea's Unification Ministry has said.
Senior officials from the two countries plan to hold talks this week and next, on the restoration of rail and road links, as well as cooperation in forestry. The transport-related meetings will be held on June 26 and 28 in the Demilitarized Zone, with the forestry cooperation discussions set for July 4 at an undisclosed location.
"Through sectoral meetings on cooperation in the field of rail, road transport and forestry, we will build the foundation for the long-term development of relations between the South and the North, for the sake of lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula and a sincere discussion of the directions in implementing the Panmunjom Declaration," the ministry's statement said.
The warming ties prompted regional actors including Russia, China and Japan to dust off plans for economic cooperation to the benefit of both Koreas. Earlier this month, Russian gas giant Gazprom announced that it had returned to the idea of building a gas pipeline to South Korea via the DPRK, which would supply the countries with about 20 billion cubic meters of gas per year. President Moon mentioned a total of nine possible "bridges" of economic cooperation with Moscow last year, many of them contingent on a stable political and military situation on the peninsula. The three countries have also discussed a $20-$30 billion electricity grid project.
Earlier this month, the Japanese media reported that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was looking forward to possibly meeting with Kim Jong-un on the sidelines of a summit in Vladivostok in September. Meanwhile, Chinese economic analysts have recently explained to Sputnik the prospects of including North Korea in China's Belt and Road initiative, which they believe would help rebuild North Korea's economy and promote regional economic integration.
