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Russia and North Korea deepen ties with symbolic road bridge

From Al Jazeera · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Official statement Outcome reported
  • Russia and North Korea opened their first road bridge, a one-kilometre crossing over the Tumen River that adds to existing air and rail links.
  • Russia said trucks would use the bridge immediately, with passenger traffic expected once the crossing becomes fully operational later this year.
  • The opening highlights closer cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, including North Korean military support for Russia.

Russia and North Korea have opened their first road bridge, creating a new physical link between two governments whose relations have tightened sharply since Moscow launched its war in Ukraine.

The first flag-adorned trucks crossed the two-lane bridge over the Tumen River on Monday. The crossing stretches for one kilometre, or about 0.6 miles, and can carry up to 300 vehicles a day, according to Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.

Mishustin and North Korean Premier Pak Thae-song addressed workers and officials by video link. Mishustin said the bridge would connect to Russia’s federal road network and give a “powerful impetus” to trade, economic, scientific, technological and cultural cooperation. The Russian government said trucks would begin carrying cargo immediately. Passenger traffic could start once the bridge becomes fully operational at the end of the year.

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.

· Mikhail MishustinThe Russian prime minister described the expected impact of the new road bridge on bilateral cooperation.

The bridge had been discussed for years, but construction began in April last year after Russia’s President Vladimir Putin agreed to the project during a 2024 visit to North Korea. Until now, Moscow and Pyongyang had been connected directly by air and rail, with the nearby Friendship Bridge, opened in 1959, serving for decades as their only border crossing.

The new crossing carries a symbolic name. It is dedicated to Yakov Novichenko, a Red Army soldier whom Pyongyang credits with saving the life of North Korea’s first leader, Kim Il Sung, in 1946 by intercepting a grenade. The bridge’s opening comes as cooperation has accelerated, including North Korea’s deployment of thousands of troops to Russia’s Kursk region to help repel a Ukrainian incursion in 2024. Mishustin referred to “the Korean heroes who, only recently, fought shoulder to shoulder with our soldiers and defended Russian s” in remarks quoted before the source text ended.

the Korean heroes who, only recently, fought shoulder to shoulder with our soldiers and defended Russian s

· Mikhail MishustinMishustin referred to North Korean troops who supported Russia in the Kursk region; the supplied text ends mid-sentence.
About this summary

Originally published by Al Jazeera in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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