North Korea will not attend a May meeting of the Organization for Cooperation between Railways (OSJD) in Seoul, South Korea’s national rail operator Korail confirmed on Thursday.

The decision will delay South Korea’s membership to the organisation as its participation in OSJD must be unilaterally approved by all members, including the DPRK.

Full OSJD membership is required for the proposed ‘Silk Road Express’, the first part of President Park Guen Hye’s Eurasia Initiative, which seeks to establish an international delivery line combining sea, road, and air trade and is first step in