Korail unveiled a space on the theme of the railroad, delivering Korean citizens’ messages of unification to all of humanity.
On 14 October 2015, Korail held the opening ceremony of the Unification Platform at Dorasan Station.
The opening ceremony was attended by 300 guests including German President Joachim Guack, Minister of Unification Hong Yong-pyo, Korail CEO Choi Yeon-hye, key guests from home and abroad, and residents of Paju city
In particular, approximately 60 government officials from Germany, including President Guack and Ambassador Rolf Mafael, attended the ceremony to celebrate and support Korea, sharing the pains of its division.
The Unification Platform, occupying a 240 square metre (2,597 square feet) area in the southern part of platform 1 (Dorasan station), features the Berlin Wall (1.2m in length and 3m in width), a symbol of German Unification, a U.S. military caboose operated in East and West Germany during the Cold War era, an Inter-Korean freight car which actually runs to the Kaesung industrial complex for a year from 2007, and other symbolic exhibits such as a map of Trans-Eurasian Railways, photographs, and Korean citizens’ messages of unification.
.
The Unification Gate engraved with peace and unification phrases in different languages and portrayed the Korean Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), the Unification Time Wall helping visitors compare German Unification Time to that of Korea as well as write down their messages of unification, and the Unification Exhibition Hall, featuring the Inter-Korean freight car and rail artefacts from Germany and Korea inside will be displayed in the venue.
The Inter-Korean freight car covered with images of the DMZ and the landscape of the North contained a barbed wire fence crossing Germany, East German Railroad Police’s uniforms, German customs inspection tools, 20 German rail artifacts, items of the restoration ceremony of the Gyeongui Line, and Inter-Korean Railway photographs.
In particular, the US military caboose which is only three remaining cars in the world, travelled all the way to Korea after the decision-making process of Helmstedt city council.
There were 60 messages of hope for unification and the names of participants engraved on marble, contested and chosen among North Korean defectors, separated families, Korean War Veterans, and Korean citizens, along with messages by President Park Geun-hye and German President Joachim Guack.
The Unification Platform was jointly initiated by Korail and Gyeonggi-do to share and deliver the messages of unification around the world in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of Korea’s liberation. The project was supported by many partners, including the Ministry of Unification, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and Paju city.
Korail CEO Choi Yeon-hye said, “As much as Dorasan Station attracts more than 800,000 visitors each year, I hope the Unification Platform will become a symbolic landmark attraction in Korea." She added, “I also hope that railways such as the Inter-Korean Railway and Trans-continental Railway will act as a catalyst for unification.”
The Unification Platform can be easily enjoyed by DMZ-Train. The train operates between Seoul and Dorasan Station once a day during weekdays and twice a day during weekends.
(Source: Korail)
