Russia will begin building a road bridge to North Korea

The construction of a new road bridge between North Korea and Russia will improve connectivity and strengthen strategic and economic connections.

According to Russia’s envoy to Pyongyang, the two countries will soon start building a new road bridge across the Tumen River, enhancing their relationship, the Russian news agency RIA reported.

In 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited North Korea and signed a comprehensive strategic partnership pact, which included the project. Near the current “Friendship Bridge,” a rail link put into service in 1959 following the Korean War, the new bridge will be constructed. Russian media said that an older wooden bridge that had once linked the two countries in the early 20th century had been dismantled.

Alexander Matsegora, Russia’s envoy to North Korea, said that although building had not yet started, preparatory work was in progress. “Preparatory work, design documentation finalization, construction crew formation, and equipment column assembly are being carried out by the parties,” he told RIA.

It is anticipated that the road bridge, which has been discussed for years, will connect to Russia’s highway system and reach 850 meters (2,789 feet). According to a South Korean company called SI Analytics, satellite imagery analysis revealed that construction on the bridge’s foundations and related road connectors had already started.

“A significant increase in economic, social, and military exchanges is expected as a result of the bridge’s quick construction after the current rail link—the sole route connecting North Korea and Russia,” SI Analytics wrote in a study on March 5. Additionally, the firm cautioned that the move might eventually reduce the effectiveness of international sanctions placed on both countries.

In the wake of international geopolitical concerns, the bridge is anticipated to strengthen Moscow and Pyongyang’s alliance by improving connectivity and trade between the two countries.