A South Korean government-run institute is seeking to fund research into how to overcome the obstacles posed by North Korea’s infamously-bitter winters in upgrading its railway system, documents seen this week by NK News showed.

The Korea Rail Network Authority, charged with the construction and maintenance of railways and managing facilities, will commission the research project to a private sector partner, allocating KRW 268 million ($227,504).

The organization, an affiliate of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT), said the project aims to mainly review the influence of climate — including the North’s low winter temperatures and heatwaves in the