韓國支持朝鮮羅津港鐵路項目

Seoul has agreed to support investment by South Korean companies in a Russian-led economic project in North Korea – a move that would mark a step forward in inter-Korean co-operation, but which may be hindered by continuing tensions on the peninsula.

韓國政府已同意，支持本國企業參與一項由俄羅斯牽頭的在朝鮮開展的經濟項目，標誌着朝韓合作向前邁進了一步。但朝鮮半島持續緊張的形勢可能阻礙這一計劃的實施。

In September Russia reopened a 54km rail link between its Siberian city of Khasan and the North Korean coastal city of Rajin, where it is supporting work to modernise the port.

今年9月，俄羅斯重新開放了連接西伯利亞哈桑市(Khasan)與朝鮮海濱城市羅津(Rajin)的54公里鐵路，以此幫助羅津港的現代化建設。

During a brief visit to Seoul on Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed with his South Korean counterpart Park Geun-hye a memorandum of understanding under which both countries agreed "to encourage the railway and port co-operation project".

俄羅斯總統弗拉基米爾?普京(Vladimir Putin)週三對首爾進行短暫訪問時，與韓國總統朴槿惠(Park Geun-hye)簽署了一份諒解備忘錄。根據該備忘錄，兩國同意“鼓勵這項鐵路和港口的合作項目”。

Officials said that this could involve South Korean companies taking an equity stake in the consortium that runs the project, of which the ownership is currently divided between Russia and North Korea.

官員們表示，在具體操作中，韓國企業可能會在運營該項目的財團中佔有部分股份。目前該財團的股份由俄羅斯和朝鮮雙方持有。

Moscow hopes the project will open a new land transport route between east Asia and Europe, by linking Rajin's warm-water port with the Trans-Siberian Railway.

俄羅斯政府希望將羅津的不凍港與西伯利亞鐵路連接起來，從而在東亞和歐洲之間開闢一條新的陸路運輸線。

South Korean investment could pave the way for companies from the South to make use of this link, which would be in line with the foreign policy vision of Ms Park. She called last month for Europe and Asia to be made "truly one continent", through a rail link that would run from South Korea through North Korea and on to Europe.

韓國的投資可能爲韓國企業利用這條線路鋪平道路，這也符合朴槿惠的外交政策願景。她上個月呼籲，應該建設一條從韓國、經朝鮮、一直到歐洲的鐵路，讓歐洲和亞洲能夠“真正成爲一塊大陸”。

Investment by South Korean companies in the North has been banned since 2010. But an official at Seoul's unification ministry said that this was viewed as an exceptional case, and noted that if the equity stake was purchased from Russia then it would not count as a "direct investment in North Korea".

朝鮮自2010年起禁止韓國企業在朝投資。但韓國統一部一名官員表示，上述計劃被視作特例，並指出，如果韓國從俄羅斯手中購買股份，那就算不上“直接投資於朝鮮”。

But the still fraught relations between Seoul and Pyongyang would cast a shadow over the plans, said Go Myung-hyun at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, citing a continuing stand-off over mooted talks on North Korea's nuclear programme. While the US and South Korea want North Korea to take steps towards denuclearisation before negotiations can begin, Pyongyang says that any talks must be without preconditions.

但韓國峨山政策研究院(The Asan Institute for Policy Studies)的Go Myung-hyun說，韓鮮關係依然緊張，這會爲該計劃投下陰影。他指出，對於如何重啓朝鮮核項目談判，各方眼下仍僵持不下。美國與韓國希望朝鮮先拿出去核化措施，然後再開始談判，而朝鮮政府表示，如果要談判，就必須不附加任何前提條件。

“For me this is more of a symbolic step forward, rather than a concrete signal of intention to invest,” Mr Go said. "I think South Korea wants to isolate North Korea until it accepts the terms to return to the six-party talks."

Go Myung-hyun說：“在我看來，這更像是象徵意義的一步，不是韓方釋放投資意願的切實信號。我認爲，韓國想要孤立朝鮮，直到朝鮮接受重啓六方談判的條件。”