Seoul, July 31, SPA -- South and North Korea haveagreed to officially open railways and roads linking thetwo countries in late October, South Korea said Sunday. North Korean leader Kim Jong Il and then-South KoreanPresident Kim Dae-jung agreed at a summit in 2000 to opentwo sets of rail tracks and adjacent roads _ one on theeast coast of the Korean Peninsula and one near the west. The agreement to hold an official ceremony to open thelinks in October was reached at two-day talks which endedSaturday in Kaesong, a North Korean town near the borderwith the South. Both sides agreed that the opening ceremonies should takeplace after military safeguards are in place, theUnification Ministry statement said. It did not elaborate The two Koreas are expected to hold joint inspections ofthe railways next month, the Associated Press quoted the statement as saying. They have also agreed to form a joint committee to operatethe railways and roads, it said.--SPA1256 Local Time 0956 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/280136