Russia and North Korea inaugurated on Monday the first road bridge that directly connects them. The new construction over the Tumen River raises concerns in Ukraine about a possible military route.
Russia and North Korea inaugurated on Monday, September 7, the first road bridge that directly connects them, over the Tumen River. Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and North Korean Cabinet Premier Pak Thae Song participated via video conference in the opening ceremony.
The new bridge is just over a kilometer long, and construction began at the end of April 2025. Until now, the two countries had only one terrestrial connection, by railway, through the Friendship Bridge, built over the same river. Russia and North Korea also have regular air services between Vladivostok and Pyongyang.
The agreement for the construction of the bridge was signed in June 2024, during Vladimir Putin’s visit to North Korea. During the same period, the two countries concluded a treaty on a partnership strategic “comprehensive”, which later became the basis for the expansion of military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang.
The bridge is named after Iakov Tihonovici Novicenko, a Red Army officer who saved the life of President Kim Ir-sen in March 1946, when, during a rally organized in Pyongyang, a grenade was thrown at the North Korean leader. Iakov Tihonovici Novicenko threw himself over it and shielded him with his own body. He was seriously injured, but survived. Subsequently, the North Korean authorities awarded him the highest state distinction of the country, the title of Hero of Labor.
The story of the Soviet officer was also remembered at Monday’s inauguration. In honor of Iakov Tihonovici Novicenko, on the Russian side, the column of vehicles was led by a red Zaporojets that once belonged to him, according to The Guardian.