North Korean railway workers
© Kyodo / ReutersNorth Korean railway workers next to a train
US military officials have put the brakes on a proposed rail project that would connect the Korean Peninsula, underscoring growing differences between Washington and Seoul on engagement with the hermit kingdom.

The governments of the two estranged nations were set to begin preliminary plans for the rail link last week, but their application to send a train from Seoul across the length of North Korea was denied by the US-led United Nations Command. The multinational military body, which traces its roots back to the Korean War, controls movement across the demilitarized zone which separates North and South Korea.


Comment: So let's get this straight. North and South Korea both agreed. Both are sovereign nations and can do whatever the hell they want to. It's their right as sovereign nations. And yet, they cannot. Because the U.S. doesn't like it. Does that sound like justice?


The decision is the latest illustration of Washington's hardline approach to dealing with Pyongyang. The US has demanded full denuclearization as a prerequisite to any economic cooperation with North Korea, while Seoul has taken a less extreme stance, favoring constructive engagement with its northern neighbor. South Korean President Moon Jae-in had expressed hope that the rail link would be completed by the end of the year.


Comment: If that's really what Washington thinks, then "Washington" is an idiot, or deliberately sabotaging the process. There's no way North Korea will completely denuclearize without getting something first. And that's not what the U.S. agreed to. The only way to make it work is to start economic cooperation first, then mutually disarm. If that doesn't happen, it suggests that the U.S. doesn't actually want a solution to the problem.


Moon has invested considerable political capital into improving inter-Korean relations and has signaled his desire for large-scale investment in North Korea once sanctions are lifted.