Koreans to clear mines from railway

South Korea says its soldiers will start as early as next month to clear landmines surrounding the railway line that once connected the country with North Korea.

The announcement follows last week's agreement between the two Koreas to reconstruct the railway line, which was severed in the Korean war, fifty years ago.

In another move to strengthen the ties between the two states, a delegation comprising nearly fifty heads of South Korean media organisations has left for North Korea.

They're travelling at the personal invitation of the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-Il.

In the past the South Korean media have described Kim Jong-Il as an unpredictable recluse who sponsors terrorism, while North Korea has called the southern media stooges of reactionaries. The journalists are travelling via Beijing and are expected to arrive in Pyongyang later today -- Saturday.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service