The unification ministry on Wednesday said it plans to push for the resumption of a cross-border rail project with North Korea next year while mapping out long-term multinational projects it has proposed as part of efforts to achieve peaceful coexistence with Pyongyang. The announcement was made during a briefing to the National Assembly Committee on Foreign Affairs and Unification. The ministry said it would begin preparatory work on what it called the "four peaceful exchange projects," aimed at encouraging cross-border exchange. The four proposed projects are a health cooperation project, the Wonsan-Kalma peace tourism project, a Seoul-Beijing high-speed railway and the Greater Tumen Initiative (GTI). Among them, the ministry plans to revitalize the GTI, which is a regional economic cooperation framework involving South Korea, China, Mongolia and Russia with a focus on transport, energy and tourism. It also plans to encourage Pyongyang to join the initiative. As part of efforts to lay the groundwork for inter-Korean exchange, the ministry said it will restart construction on the South