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Russia and North Korea Link Up With First Direct Road Bridge
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![Photo of Cyril Barabaltchouk]( "Photo of Cyril Barabaltchouk")
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Russia and North Korea have completed the structural connection of a new automobile bridge over the Tumen River, establishing the first direct road link between the two countries, The Moscow Times reported on April 22.
The Russian Ministry of Transport announced the completion of the bridge’s spans. Transport Minister Andrei Nikitin stated the new crossing will increase trade volumes, simplify logistics, and boost development in the border areas. Until now, the only direct connection across the border was the Friendship railway bridge.
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The entire crossing stretches nearly five kilometers, with the bridge itself measuring about one kilometer. The Moscow Times writes that construction required 5,000 tons of metal structures and over 9,000 cubic meters of concrete. The bridge is scheduled to open for traffic this summer.
Alongside the bridge, Russia is upgrading the “Khasan” border checkpoint to process up to 300 vehicles and 2,000 people per day. According to Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) border guards, Russians made 9,900 trips to North Korea in 2025, primarily for tourism and business.
The road bridge project stems from agreements reached between Russian leader Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in September 2023, with construction officially starting in April 2025.
The new infrastructure linking Russia and North Korea comes as the two nations deepen their military and economic alliance. Following agreements signed in 2023 and 2024, Moscow and Pyongyang have rapidly expanded cooperation to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
North Korea has supplied massive quantities of artillery ammunition and deployed thousands of troops to Russian front lines to gain combat experience. The new automobile bridge over the Tumen River provides a crucial new logistical artery that will significantly speed up the transfer of goods, resources, and potential military supplies between the two sanctioned states.
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