Khasan is the only Russian settlement on the border with North Korea. It lies near Lake Khasan and the Tumen River. The border between Russia and North Korea is formed by the course of the river, but the Tuman's riverbed sometimes changes during floods, effectively diminishing the territory of Russia and threatening to flood the settlement of Khasan and the Peschanaya border station. Since 2003, works have been in progress to reinforce the area with rocky soil for protection against the pressure of the water. Russian towns that neighbor Khasan include Kraskino, Posyet, Zarubino and Slavyanka .
Transportation
Rail
Khasan is a railway station on the Far East Railway line from Vladivostok to Rason. It is the link between Russia and North Korea, by a rail bridge over the Tumen River. Directly across the river is the North Korean station in Tumangang Workers' District, Sonbong County. The railway between Russia and North Korea was built during the Second World War to transport Soviet troops and arms to Korea in the fight against Japan and completed during the Korean war.[1] There is a break in gauge between the two railroads since the Russian railroad system is 1,520 mm and the north Korean railroad system is 1,435 mm. This line is currently little used; only 10,000 passengers were carried in 2005.[2] In 1988, the two-way cargo traffic exceeded 5 million tons annually, but by 2001 the total volume had dropped to only 144,000 tons. In 1989, 830,000 tons of freight passed through the border from Russia (Khasan) to North Korea (Tumangang). By 1998 this number stood at 150,000 tons, and by 2001, only 92,000 tons of freight crossed the border, according to the Far East customs office. The Korean portion from Tumangang to the port of Rajin was destroyed in the 1950s.
Throughout the 90s, the state of the railroad deteriorated sharply, due to the economic crisis of Russia. By 1996, North Korea owed $20 million only to the Russian railway operator, Russian Railways. This sum had been accumulated in the past 5 years as a result of North Korea's seizure and use of Russian train cars on the territory of North Korea. The situation had led to that the Ministry of Railways of Russia issued a directive forbiding the passage of trains from Khasan to North Korea, practically isolating North Korea from the Russian market. The crisis was solved in September, as North Korea agreed to pay $26 million of the debt.[3] At the beginning of the 21th century situation has improved, and capital investments were injected to improve and modernize the railway system in the area. The rail station got a new roof in 2002, and the railroad bed was raised using crushed stones in 2002/3.[4]
On April 2008, Russia and North Korea signed a long-awaited deal to rebuild a railway line to North Korea. Under the deal, the two countries will renovate the rail line from Russia's border town of Khasan to the North Korean port of Rajin, where sea cargo to and from South Korea could be unloaded. To implement the project, the Russian Railways Trading House and the Port of Rajin set up a joint venture. It will ensure investments in the project as well as employ contractors for design and construction work. The joint venture has been set up for the period of 49 years. The shares are distributed as follows: 70 percent belong to Russia and 30 percent to North Korea. [5]
On Saturday, October 4 Russian railwaymen began renovating the Khasan-Rajin railway section.[6]
