Russia and North Korea will soon begin construction on a road bridge over the Tumen River, which will connect the two countries, declared the Russian ambassador to Pyongyang, as quoted by the Russian state news agency RIA, according to Reuters.
The bridge was agreed upon during a visit by President Vladimir Putin to North Korea in 2024, when the two countries signed a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement. The road bridge will be built near the existing railway bridge, “Friendship Bridge”, which was put into operation in 1959 after the Korean War. An old wooden bridge crossed the border in the early 20th century, but it was destroyed, according to the Russian press. “Construction on the bridge has not yet begun,” said Alexander Matsegora, Russia’s ambassador to North Korea, to RIA.
“The parties are carrying out preparatory work, finalizing design documentation, forming construction teams and equipment columns,” he said. The road bridge, which has been discussed for years, will be 850 meters long and will connect to the Russian highway system. South Korean satellite imagery analysis firm SI Analytics stated in a report on March 5 that the construction of the bridge’s foundations and road links appears to have started. “With the rapid construction of this bridge after the existing railway link, the only passage between North Korea and Russia, a strong increase in economic, social, and military exchanges is anticipated,” the report said. “This could lead to a gradual erosion of the effectiveness of international sanctions against North Korea and Russia.”