MUNSAN, South Korea, May 17 (Xinhua) -- South Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) conducted historic cross-border railway test-runs on Thursday.

A total of 150 passengers, 100 from South Korea and 50 from the DPRK, took a South Korean train after attending a joint ceremony for the test-run at the Munsan station here Thursday morning.

At the ceremony held before the train departed, South Korean Unification Minister Lee Jae-joung and his DPRK counterpart Kwon Ho-ung delivered commemorative speeches. Both expressed their willing to promote bilateral cooperation and national reconciliation.

The train pulled out of the Munsan station at 11:30 local time (0230 GMT) towards DPRK's Kaesong station. It crossed the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) at 12:15 local time (0315 GMT) and became the first train across the MDL since the inter-Korean railway system was cut off in 1951.

Meanwhile, a DPRK train departed from DPRK's Geumgang Station to South Korea's Jaejin Station along the Donghae Line also at 11:30 local time. A total of 150 South Korean and DPRK representatives are aboard the train.

South Korea and DPRK agreed last month to conduct test runs of cross-border railways on Thursday.