Russia’s Minister for the Development of the Russian Far East Alexander Galushka says his country wants South Korea to take part in the Rajin-Khasan logistics project.

Galushka made the remark on Wednesday in a written interview with Seoul-based Yonhap News, ahead of his four-day stay in South Korea beginning Friday.

He was talking about the logistics project aimed at delivering coal along the 54-kilometer route between the Russian city of Khasan and North Korea’s Rajin port.

The minister said that the transportation of coal on that route is not subject to UN Security Council sanctions against the North.

He then stressed the need for Russia, South Korea and North Korea to sit down and discuss ways to effectively use the Rajin-Khasan route.

Galushka cited that South Korea had once revealed intention to participate in the project and signed a related memorandum of understanding when President Vladimir Putin visited Seoul in 2013 which led to the transportation of cargo on the route on a trial basis. He then expressed regret over the fact that South Korea pulled out of the project in 2016 after slapping independent sanctions on the North.

The minister said though the route has the capacity to transport five million tons of cargo annually only half of its capacity is currently being used. He said that using the route will drastically facilitate the transport of cargo from Russia to South Korea.

Originally Published in KBS