Newsman: Russia and North Korea opened the first road bridge across their shared border. Russian officials hailed the development as boosting the nations’ deepening ties.
The bridge over the Tumen River is 1 kilometer (0.6 mile) long and has two lanes and will allow up to 300 vehicles a day to pass through a newly built border crossing point, the Russian government on Monday said in a statement.
“I am convinced that the expansion of transport infrastructure near the border will give a powerful boost to the further development of trade, economic, technological, scientific and cultural cooperation between the Russian Federation and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,” said Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, who took part in the opening ceremony via video link.
North Korea has been receiving Russian tourists since February 2024 amid slowly easing pandemic curbs.
North Korea and Russia, which are already served by a railway bridge and air service, agreed in 2024 to construct a bridge for automobiles over the Tumen River, which runs along North Korea’s borders with Russia and China. Construction began last year.
