SEOUL/GOSEONG -- A group of South Korean officials left for North Korea on Friday to jointly inspect railways as part of efforts to modernize and connect rail links over the inter-Korean border.

The 15-member team led by Hwang Sung-gyu, a senior transportation ministry official, crossed into the North at around 8:30 a.m. by using the eastern cross-border route. 

The one-day trip is intended to jointly conduct inspections with North Korea on railways running along the east coast of the Korean Peninsula. The North will also send six officials for the work.

This is a follow-up to the agreement reached during working-level inter-Korean talks in June to cooperate in modernizing and eventually reconnecting railways running along the peninsula's eastern and western regions.

Subject to inspection are the route running from Mount Kumgang on the North's east coast to the Military Demarcation Line that separates the two Koreas. The Kaesong-MDL line in the western region will also be looked at on Tuesday, the ministry said.

North Korea's railway system is said to be so decrepit that it might need modernization or even replacement to be connected to South Korea's.

This marks the first time in about 10 years that the two Koreas have conducted such joint inspections related to railway cooperation.

The leaders of the two Koreas held a historic summit in April to halt hostile acts against each other and promote cross-border exchanges and cooperation in diverse areas. (Yonhap)