Russia and North Korea Open Their First Road Bridge

Russia and North Korea have opened their first road bridge, adding a new crossing over the Tumen River as Moscow and Pyongyang deepen their strategic partnership.

The bridge stands near the Friendship Bridge, a railway crossing commissioned in 1959 after the Korean War. Russia and North Korea already maintain direct rail and air links, but they had not previously been connected by road.

The new crossing is named for Yakov Novichenko, a Soviet Red Army officer credited with saving the life of North Korean founder Kim Il Sung. Novichenko’s relatives attended the opening ceremony. Construction began in April 2025, after Russia and North Korea agreed on the project during President Vladimir Putin’s visit to North Korea in 2024.

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said the bridge should promote economic development, tourism and employment. “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,” the TASS news agency quoted him as saying by video link.

The opening comes as relations between Moscow and Pyongyang have strengthened considerably since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. North Korea sent thousands of troops to Russia’s Kursk region to help Russian forces repel a Ukrainian incursion launched in 2024.

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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.