North Korea and Russia opened their first road bridge, highlighting the strengthening ties between the two countries and creating a new direct route for cross-border trade.
The 1-km, two-lane bridge spans the Tumen River and was inaugurated in a ceremony attended remotely by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and North Korean Premier Pak Thae Song. Flag-decorated trucks were among the first vehicles to cross.
The project, discussed for years, began in April last year after an agreement reached during President Vladimir Putin’s 2024 visit to North Korea. The two countries already have air and rail connections, but the new bridge provides their first dedicated road link.
“I am convinced that the expansion of cross-border transport infrastructure will provide a powerful impetus for the further development of trade, economic, scientific, technological and cultural cooperation,” Mishustin said, describing bilateral ties as “at an unprecedented high level” and the bridge’s opening as “a genuinely historic event.”
He called the structure “a new symbol of friendship”.
The Russian government said the bridge could initially handle up to 300 vehicles a day and would connect to Russia’s federal road network and the transport corridor linking Vladivostok with St Petersburg. Freight traffic is expected to begin immediately, while passenger traffic could be allowed once the bridge becomes fully operational later this year.
Built near the existing Friendship Bridge, a rail crossing dating to 1959, the new structure has been named after Yakov Novichenko, a Soviet soldier whom North Korea credits with saving Kim Il Sung’s life in 1946.
North Korean state media said the bridge would support greater economic cooperation, including trade, tourism and people-to-people exchanges.
The opening comes as relations between Moscow and Pyongyang have deepened since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. North Korea has provided military support to Russia, including sending troops to the Kursk region during fighting following a Ukrainian incursion in 2024.
Mishustin referred to that cooperation, praising “the Korean heroes who, only recently, fought shoulder to shoulder with our soldiers and defended Russian soil”.
The bridge is likely to increase economic and logistical cooperation, while also raising questions about its potential strategic use. Lim Eul-chul, a professor at South Korea-based Kyungnam University, said the development reflected the growing practical ties between the two governments.
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“While North Korea is trying to maximise its own interests, Russia has secured a direct route for the transport of military supplies, ammunition and manpower, including troops, for its prolonged war in Ukraine.”
The new crossing therefore carries both economic and strategic significance, providing Moscow and Pyongyang with another channel to expand cooperation as their partnership continues to deepen.
Reuters
