russia and North Korea begin construction of a joint road bridge
30 April 19:49
on April 30, Russia and North Korea began construction of a road bridge between the countries that will cross the Tumen River. The crossing is part of efforts to strengthen their strategic partnership.
This was stated by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Reuters reports , "Komersant Ukrainian".
The bridge is being built near the existing Friendship Bridge, a railroad bridge that was commissioned in 1959 after the Korean War.
At a ceremony to mark the start of construction of the new bridge, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said it was a significant event in Russian-North Korean relations, as quoted by the propaganda news agency TASS.
“This significance goes far beyond just an engineering task. It symbolizes our common desire to strengthen friendly, good-neighborly relations and expand interregional cooperation,” Mishustin said.
The new bridge will be 850 meters long and will connect to the Russian highway system. It is planned to be built by the summer of 2026. Currently, there are only rail and air connections between Russia and the DPRK.
The construction of the bridge was agreed upon during Vladimir Putin’s visit to North Korea in 2024.
Mishustin said that the bridge “will allow entrepreneurs to significantly increase transportation volumes and reduce transportation costs, ensure reliable and stable supplies of various products, which will help expand trade and economic cooperation.”
On April 28, North Korea admitted for the first time that it had sent troops to Russia to help retake the Kursk region, which had been seized by Ukrainian forces.
They said they had deployed their troops in Russia in accordance with the mutual defense agreement between Pyongyang and Moscow.
