韩国支持朝鲜罗津港铁路项目

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.

韩国政府已同意，支持本国企业参与一项由俄罗斯牵头的在朝鲜开展的经济项目，标志着朝韩合作向前迈进了一步。但朝鲜半岛持续紧张的形势可能阻碍这一计划的实施。

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，俄罗斯重新开放了连接西伯利亚哈桑市(Khasan)与朝鲜海滨城市罗津(Rajin)的54公里铁路，以此帮助罗津港的现代化建设。

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".

俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔?普京(Vladimir Putin)周三对首尔进行短暂访问时，与韩国总统朴槿惠(Park Geun-hye)签署了一份谅解备忘录。根据该备忘录，两国同意“鼓励这项铁路和港口的合作项目”。

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.

官员们表示，在具体操作中，韩国企业可能会在运营该项目的财团中占有部分股份。目前该财团的股份由俄罗斯和朝鲜双方持有。

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.

俄罗斯政府希望将罗津的不冻港与西伯利亚铁路连接起来，从而在东亚和欧洲之间开辟一条新的陆路运输线。

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.

韩国的投资可能为韩国企业利用这条线路铺平道路，这也符合朴槿惠的外交政策愿景。她上个月呼吁，应该建设一条从韩国、经朝鲜、一直到欧洲的铁路，让欧洲和亚洲能够“真正成为一块大陆”。

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".

朝鲜自2010年起禁止韩国企业在朝投资。但韩国统一部一名官员表示，上述计划被视作特例，并指出，如果韩国从俄罗斯手中购买股份，那就算不上“直接投资于朝鲜”。

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.

但韩国峨山政策研究院(The Asan Institute for Policy Studies)的Go Myung-hyun说，韩鲜关系依然紧张，这会为该计划投下阴影。他指出，对于如何重启朝鲜核项目谈判，各方眼下仍僵持不下。美国与韩国希望朝鲜先拿出去核化措施，然后再开始谈判，而朝鲜政府表示，如果要谈判，就必须不附加任何前提条件。

“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说：“在我看来，这更像是象征意义的一步，不是韩方释放投资意愿的切实信号。我认为，韩国想要孤立朝鲜，直到朝鲜接受重启六方谈判的条件。”