The heart of the Korean peninsula is beating again," he told a crowd at South Korea's Munsan station, 12km south of the Demilitarised Zone that divides the two countries.Kwon Ho-ung, North Korea's senior cabinet councillor, said the two Koreas "should not be derailed from the track or hesitate" in their moves towards unification.
But he warned that outside powers – a term the North usually uses to refer to the US - were the main obstacle to reconciliation between the Koreas.
"Even at this point, challenges are continuing from divisive forces at home and abroad who don't like reconciliation and unification of our people," Kwon said.
Fireworks
More than 50 years after the end of the Korean War, North and South Korea remain officially at war, never having signed a formal peace treaty.
The last train to try crossing the border was stopped by American soldiers on December 31, 1950, after which railway links were blown up.
On Thursday at the South Korean station of Munsan, balloons were released and volleys of coloured fireworks were let off as the train bound for North Korea moved into position.
As it stopped in front of a red-carpeted platform for passengers to board a large crowd waved paper flags depicting a unified Korean peninsula in blue.
The train test was approved last week during rare military-to-military talks which agreed on security procedures for the cross-border trial.
The trains taking part in Thursday's test run, each carrying 150 people, used two separate lines on the east and west of the peninsula.
One train originated from the South Korean side and traveled about 25km into North Korean territory before turning back.
The other train travelled from the North Korean side to the station of Jejin the South.
Before departing one of the passengers on the South Korean train, Yang Hyun-wook, head of the Seoul office of the Korea Railway Corporation, said the journey would be an emotional one.
"I think it should have happened earlier, but I hope this will be an opportunity for South and North Korea to become one," he said.
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