First road bridge between Russia, North Korea opens after years of planning

Russia and North Korea have opened their first road bridge between the two countries, marking another step in their increasingly close relationship.The 1-km, two-lane bridge crosses the Tumen River and was inaugurated on Monday in a ceremony attended virtually by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and North Korean Premier Pak Thae Song. The first trucks, carrying the flags of both countries, crossed the bridge as the two leaders addressed officials and workers by video link.New route to boost cross-border tradeThe bridge project had been discussed for several years before construction began in April last year. The decision to build it followed Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to North Korea in 2024.Russia and North Korea already have direct air and rail connections. However, there had been no dedicated road crossing between the two countries.Since 1959, vehicles have been able to cross the border using planks laid on the existing rail bridge. That bridge, known as the Friendship Bridge, had remained the only border crossing between Russia and North Korea for decades.Mishustin said the new road connection would help expand cooperation between the two countries."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," said Mishustin, ⁠who said ties between Moscow and Pyongyang were "at an unprecedented high level" ​and called the opening of the bridge "a genuinely historic event."The Russian prime minister described the project as more than an infrastructure development, calling it "a new symbol of friendship".Up to 300 vehicles will be able to use the bridge each day, Mishustin said. It will connect to Russia's federal road network and provide access to the transport corridor linking Vladivostok in the Russian Far East with St Petersburg.Cargo trucks will start using the bridge immediately, according to the Russian government. The crossing is expected to become fully operational by the end of this year, when passenger traffic will also be allowed.Bridge named after Soviet soldierThe new bridge has been built close to the existing Friendship Bridge, which was opened in 1959 following the Korean War.It has been named after Yakov Novichenko, a Red Army soldier who is credited by North Korea with saving the life of its first leader, Kim Il Sung, in 1946. According to Pyongyang's account, Novichenko intercepted a grenade thrown towards Kim Il Sung and others.The opening comes as Moscow and Pyongyang have moved closer since Russia launched its war in Ukraine in 2022.North Korea has sent thousands of troops to Russia's Kursk region to help Russian forces fight a Ukrainian incursion that began in 2024.Mishustin referred to that cooperation during his speech, praising "the Korean heroes who, only recently, fought shoulder to shoulder with our soldiers and defended Russian soil".The new bridge therefore carries both practical and political significance for Moscow and Pyongyang, providing a new land route while underscoring the closer ties between the two governments.Catch the latest World News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.