PYONGYANG, November 14. /TASS/. North Korea supports the implementation of economic projects approved by the Russian-Korean summit in August 2011 in Ulan Ude, the North Korean Foreign Ministry official told TASS on Friday.

The North Korean government’s position remains unchanged to implement the large-scale economic cooperation projects in various areas, including energy and railways, the diplomat said.

During the Russian-Korean summit in August 2011, the sides reached an agreement to implement a tripartite project for a pipeline that may be laid across North Korea to pipe Russian gas to South Korea.

Another very important project is reconstruction of the Trans-Korean railroad. It was discussed during the first meeting of railway chiefs of Russia, North Korea and South Korea in Irkutsk in 2006. They agreed to begin reconstruction of the Trans-Korean railroad from the Russian station of Khasan to the port of Rajin. In September 2013, a ceremony was held in North Korea to mark the completion of the work. A Russian-Korean terminal also opened in Rajin, the main port of the economic zone of Rason.

The modernization of the Khasan-Rajin railway infrastructure is viewed as a pilot part of the reconstruction of the entire Trans-Korean main line. When the link from the South Korean port of Pusan across North Korea to Russia is opened in full, a substantial part of cargoes will be re-orientated to Russia’s Trans-Siberian line from the sea route from South Korea to Europe.

South Korean businessmen may join the work to develop North Korea’s railway infrastructure.