Russia and North Korea open first joint road bridge

Russia and North Korea on Monday inaugurated their first joint road bridge over the Tumen River, a move seen as another sign of the countries drawing closer.

The bridge was built near the two countries’ rail “Friendship Bridge,” a route that has connected Russia and North Korea by rail since 1959, following the Korean War. The new road link is expected to make travel and cargo transport easier.

According to Reuters, Russian officials said the project could expand economic, scientific, technological, tourism and cultural cooperation between the two countries. Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said at the opening ceremony that the project would help develop border regions and create jobs on both sides of the frontier.

Plans for the bridge had been under discussion for years, but actual work began in April 2025 after Russian President Vladimir Putin visited North Korea in 2024.

The opening comes as relations between Moscow and Pyongyang have significantly warmed since the start of the war in Ukraine in 2022. In 2024, North Korea sent thousands of troops to help counter Ukrainian operations in Russia’s Kursk region, and political and military cooperation between the two countries has since expanded further.

The Tumen River forms part of the border between Russia and North Korea, and the bridge is the first direct road link between the two countries.