North Korea and Russia open their first road bridge, a symbol of expanding ties
The structure spans the Tumen river and was cast as an important milestone in their deepening strategic partnership.
MOSCOW: North Korea and Russia inaugurated their first road bridge on Monday, according to Russia's state news agency TASS. The bridge, spanning the Tumen River, is positioned near an existing rail bridge known as the "Friendship Bridge," which was built in 1959 following the Korean War. Direct air and rail connections between Moscow and Pyongyang already exist.
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin stated that the new bridge could foster development across multiple areas, including tourism and the creation of new jobs. Mishustin emphasized during the bridge's opening ceremony via video link that the bridge's infrastructure expansion would significantly boost trade, economic, scientific, technological, and cultural cooperation between the two nations.
The bridge's construction, which had been in discussion for years, began in April 2024 after it was agreed upon during a visit by President Vladimir Putin to North Korea in the same year. Relations between the two countries have notably intensified since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine in 2022. Pyongyang reportedly deployed thousands of troops to Russia's Kursk region to assist in repelling a 2024 Ukrainian incursion there.
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