Russia and North Korea opened their first road bridge across their shared border on Monday, marking a new sign of deepening political, economic, and military ties. The one-kilometre, two-lane bridge spans the Tumen River between Khasan in Russia’s far east and Tumangang in North Korea, located along a remote and sparsely populated stretch of the border just a few miles from the coast.
The bridge will allow up to 300 vehicles a day to pass through a newly built border crossing point. During a ceremony to mark the completion, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, attending via video link, described the bridge as a new symbol of friendship. He expressed confidence that the expanded transport infrastructure would provide a powerful boost to trade, economic, technological, scientific, and cultural cooperation between the two nations.
This development follows an agreement made in 2024 to construct the bridge for automobiles, with construction beginning last year. While the countries were already served by air service and a railway bridge, this new connection reflects the rapidly growing relationship between Moscow and Kim Jong Un’s regime since the start of the war in Ukraine.
Military and economic ties have been heavily boosted since Russia launched its offensive in Ukraine, with North Korea supplying troops and ammunitions. Additionally, North Korea has been receiving Russian tourists since February 2024 amid slowly easing pandemic curbs.