Anchor: South Korean businesses are planning to launch another test operation of the Rajin-Khasan logistics project, delivering Russian coal to South Korea via a North Korean port. If the second test-run is successful, the consortium of South Korean businesses would consider signing an official contract to use the new tri-state route.
Our Bae Joo-yon has more.
 
Report: South Korean businesses taking part in the Rajin-Khasan logistics project are seeking to launch their second pilot transportation of Russian bituminous coal to the South via the North Korean port.
 
A Unification Ministry official revealed the plan on Tuesday, saying that the coal will be transported to the southeastern port of Pohang via the northeastern Rajin Port between the end of this month and early next month.
 
South Korean officials are said to be coordinating schedules with their North Korean counterparts for the transportation of some 150-thousand tons of bituminous coal. The delivery is more than three times the amount sent during the first pilot transportation last November. 
 
At least two Chinese ships are expected to be used for the international shipment transported from Russia’s Khasan to the North’s Rajin Port via a 54-kilometer railway.
 
The South Korean consortium, made up of POSCO, Hyundai Merchant Marine and the Korea Railroad Corporation, will decide whether to adopt a formal contract based on the results of the two pilot shipments.
 
The government currently supports the logistics project and has excluded it from the so-called May 24 sanctions which ban new investments in the North.
Bae Joo-yon, KBS World Radio News.