President Park Geun-hye called Tuesday for the end of decades of inter-Korean division as she renewed her vision for a peaceful unification with North Korea.
"Now, we need to prepare for a great takeoff for the next 70 years," Park said in a video message at a Seoul ceremony, noting this year marks the 70th anniversary of both Koreas' liberation from Japan's 1910-1945 colonial rule and inter-Korean division.
Upon liberation, the Korean Peninsula was divided into the capitalist South and communist North. The peninsula is still technically at war after the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.
Park's video message is intended to be a pep talk for hundreds of South Koreans who were preparing to embark on a 20-day journey criss-crossing Asia and Europe via a pair of special trains.
The Eurasia Express expedition is designed to raise international awareness of South Korea's commitment to reunifying with North Korea.
More than 250 participants -- split into two groups -- are set to leave for Vladivostok and Beijing later in the day, respectively, with a cross-peninsula train tour blocked by the heavily-armed border between the two Koreas.
With nearly 200 people on board, one train will run from Vladivostok to Berlin, Germany, passing through several other Russian cities and Warsaw, Poland.
The other is scheduled to travel from Beijing to Irkutsk, Russia, then the passengers will join the main train for the rest of the tour.
The journey is to end in Berlin on Aug. 2, covering a total of 14,400 kilometers, or 8,948 miles, over six countries including Mongolia and Belarus.
Park has pushed for the "Eurasia Initiative" aimed at linking energy and logistics infrastructure across Asia and Europe. (Yonhap)
