South Korean train ventures north for the first time in decade

For the first time in more than a decade, a train has travelled from South Korea across the heavily guarded border into North Korea.

When the leaders of North and South Korea had their historic meeting in April, North Korea's Kim Jong-un asked for help with updating his country's railways, which he said were in an "embarrassing" state.

Some of the infrastructures date back to the early 20th Century, so if it is ever to link up with the South it needs a full overhaul.

On board is a team of South Korean experts investigating ways to help North Korea modernize its rail network.

The 28 experts will live on the train for the next 18 days while inspecting 1,200km (745 miles) of track and railway infrastructure.

The two Koreas have made significant progress in improving their relationship over the past year.

The hope is that it will eventually become easier to travel and trade across the border.

The engineers boarded the train in Dorasan, just north of Seoul, on Friday morning for the short journey to the Demilitarised Zone which has divided the Korean peninsula since the Korean War in the 1950s.

A banner displayed across the train as it headed over the heavily armed border described it as an Iron Horse, running towards an era of peace and prosperity.

At Panmun Station across the border, a North Korean engine took over to take them further north.

Cho Myoung-Gyon, who heads the Unification Ministry which oversees relations with North Korea, said the project was "intended to overcome division and open a new future of the Korean Peninsula".

But while inter-Korean relation-building has continued apace over the past year, talks with the US have stalled.

Pyongyang and Washington have repeatedly accused each other of failing to honour the vague agreements about denuclearisation they made at their landmark summit in Singapore in June.