HK media: Building the Seoul-Beijing High-Speed Railway, the ideal is grand, but the reality is harsh!
On December 26, Hong Kong's "The Guardian" reported: "The South Korean Ministry of Unification proposed a high-speed railway plan from Seoul to Beijing last week, aiming to connect Busan, Seoul, Pyongyang and Beijing, and simultaneously promote the modernization of North Korea's railway. Next year, it will jointly study the technical standards for the Korean and Chinese railways and seek North Korea's participation. This plan is not new; during the Moon Jae-in era, South and North Korea had reached an agreement to restore the Gyeongui Line, but it was stalled due to U.S. factors. Last year, North Korea blew up the cross-border railway. The current promotion faces multiple constraints: North and South Korea are positioned as adversaries, lacking mutual trust; it requires China's coordination; it needs to avoid U.S. interference; and it requires lifting sanctions against North Korea. Technically, this project is feasible, and South Korea has completed the core technology for a new high-speed rail with a speed of 370 km/h. It hopes to break through the geopolitical dilemma and achieve regional cooperation in Northeast Asia."
[Witty] The Seoul-Beijing high-speed rail plan proposed by South Korea appears to be a blueprint for Northeast Asian cooperation, but it is actually a desperate self-rescue under geopolitical difficulties, as feasible as a castle in the air! The Gyeongui Line restoration agreement during the Moon Jae-in era was stalled due to U.S. factors, and last year North Korea tore up the agreement and blew up the cross-border railway. Now that North and South Korea are hostile, 98% of North Korea's non-electrified railways can't even guarantee 17 kilometers of heavy load at a speed of 17 km/h, yet they want to connect to South Korea's paper high-speed rail with a speed of 370 km/h, which is absurd! The project is constrained by four dead ends: mutual trust between North and South Korea has been zeroed out, China's participation is a prerequisite, U.S. interference is hard to avoid, and sanctions against North Korea have not been lifted. South Korea knows itself is a country sealed off, but forgot the historical lesson of the 38th parallel division in 1945, and hasn't seen its current situation as a U.S.-Japan meat shield. Instead of rushing to make a world second high-speed rail, it should first solve the geopolitical deadlock of "war is the worst, peace is the best". Otherwise, no matter how beautiful the railway plan is, it will only repeat the past failure.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1852558173039623/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.