North Korea road bridge with Russia nears completion after 1 year
The first road bridge linking north korea and Russia is nearing completion after construction began about a year after Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un agreed to build it in Pyongyang in June 2024. The Khasan–Tumangang Bridge spans the Tumen River and sits a few hundred meters from the Friendship Bridge, the only other crossing between the two countries.
June 2024 agreement
Putin and Kim reached the bridge agreement during the Russian president’s June 2024 visit to Pyongyang. The road link was built to handle up to 300 vehicles and 2,850 people a day, giving the two countries a second fixed crossing after the nearby rail link. Russia’s embassy in North Korea said construction is set to be completed on 19 June.
Russia and North Korea also signed a landmark agreement during Putin’s visit pledging to help each other in the event of aggression against either country. The bridge now gives that relationship a physical route across the Tumen River, alongside the rail Friendship Bridge that has continued to carry high volumes of traffic during the road project.
Moscow trade route
Russia’s foreign ministry said the opening will become a “truly landmark stage in Russian–Korean relations. Its significance goes far beyond a purely engineering task”. Victor Cha said, “The speed of construction is a reflection of the volume of trade activity between the two sides,” and added, “This is spurred largely by North Korea's provision of troops, weapons, munitions, and labourers for Putin's war in Ukraine.”
Dr Edward Howell said, “This bridge will offer a useful route to transfer military goods and munitions - both to North Korea and to Russia,” and Victor Cha said, “It is fair to say that this connection, prior to the war in Ukraine, was one of the sleepiest links between North Korea and its two neighbours.”
Friendship Bridge traffic
The road bridge’s practical value is already framed by what sits beside it. The Friendship Bridge has remained busy while the new crossing was being finished, and the Khasan–Tumangang Bridge is expected to add a road channel for trade and cargo movement that the rail link does not provide.
With the 19 June completion date set by Russia’s embassy in North Korea, the next step is the opening itself. After that, the new crossing will test whether traffic, trade and the military uses described by analysts and Russian officials move as quickly as the construction did.
