Putin in Seoul to push new ‘Silk Road’ via North Korea

Russia’s president pursues dream of new ‘Silk Road’ passing through North Korea into the South en route to Europe during Seoul visit

Russian President Vladimir Putin was in South Korea on Wednesday to push a pet project for a new major trading route linking Asia and Europe by rail that requires prying open North Korea.

Putin hopes his brief visit will include the signing of a memorandum of understanding on the ambitious project, which envisages an ‘Iron Silk Road’ uniting the rail networks of South and North Korea and connecting them to Europe via the Trans-Siberian Railway.