Korean State Railway

The Korean State Railway is the operating arm of the Ministry of Railways of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and has its headquarters at P'yŏngyang. The current Minister of Railways is Chon Kil-su, who has held the position since 2009.

History

The railway lines of North Korea were originally built during the Japanese occupation of Korea by the Chosen Government Railway (Sentetsu), the South Manchuria Railway (Mantetsu) and various privately owned railway companies such as the Chosen Railway (Chōtetsu). The Pacific War had left Korea's railways massively damaged. However, reconstruction work began immediately after the partition of Korea, and by 1948, when the People's Democratic Republic of Korea - and the Korean State Railway - was established, 3,767 km (2,341 mi) of railway was in functional condition, including the restoration of the electrification on the Yangdŏk-Ch'ŏnsŏng section of the P'yŏngra, and the new electrification of the Kaegu-Koin section of the Manp'o Line.