South and North Korea are likely to start their joint on-site inspection as early as this week for a project to modernize and re-link railways across their border.
 
A source familiar with the project Sunday said that the Koreas are known to be discussing ways to conduct the inspection on the North section of the Gyeongui line starting late this week.
 
The source said the schedule depends on consultations between the government and the United Nations Command (UNC) over the passage of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL).
 
A government official said that Seoul's consultations with Pyongyang as well as the UNC are smoothly under way.
 
At high-level talks last week, the two Koreas agreed to begin field surveys of the western Gyeongui railway in late October and the Donghae railway along their east coast in November.
 
In late August, the Koreas failed to carry out a joint railway field survey as the U.S.-led UNC refused to allow the train and South Korean officials riding aboard it to cross the MDL.