US position on North Korean sanctions unchanged as Koreas push railway project

A train bound from South Korea heads to Jejin Station in Goseong County in Gangwon Province in May 2007 after passing the military demarcation line that divides South and North Korea during a test of the connecting section between Gyeongui Line and Donghae Line. Korea Times file

The United States has not changed its position that sanctions on North Korea must remain in full force despite the two Koreas' push to reconnect railways and roads across their border, a U.S. government spokesperson said Wednesday.

South Korea and North Korea plan to hold a groundbreaking ceremony between late November and early December to reconnect and modernize railways and roads along their eastern and western coasts.

The move comes amid rapid rapprochement between the Koreas, sparking concern in the U.S. that the delivery of supplies to the North could undermine sanctions placed on the regime for its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs.

"Our position has not changed," Katina Adams, the spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, said in response to a Yonhap query. "The United States and our allies the Republic of Korea and Japan are committed to close coordination on our unified response to North Korea. We expect all member states to fully implement U.N. sanctions, including sectoral goods banned under U.N. Security Council resolutions, and expect all nations to take their responsibilities seriously to help end the DPRK's illegal nuclear and missile programs."

DPRK stands for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Seoul and Washington are in talks to clear any hurdles ahead of the ceremony.

Speaking to reporters in Washington on Tuesday, a senior South Korean government official said the talks are "going well" and that he expects "good news." (Yonhap)