N Korea hails road bridge to Russia - Taipei Times

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North Korea called the first road bridge across its narrow border with Russia a concrete sign of tightening bonds, state media reported yesterday, as Pyongyang gains advantages from its powerful neighbors Moscow and Beijing.

The bridge over the Tumen River into Russia and an under-construction span to China are part of a shift that offers Western-sanctioned Pyongyang economic and strategic options it has long sought, experts said.

North Korea "will simultaneously secure two major overland routes linking it with Russia and China, allowing it to encourage competition between the two countries and maximize its gains," Kyungnam University professor Lim Eul-chul said.

Photo: Korean Central News Agency / Korea News Service via AP

The bridges also "can be a message to the US that North Korea has no reason to beg Washington for sanctions relief or make concessions on denuclearization in order to negotiate," Lim said.

Russia said the bridge is designed to accommodate expanded growth in freight with the capacity for up to 300 vehicles daily, which adds to the rail and air links already between the neighbors.

Ukrainian rights group Truth Hounds has warned that the new bridge could become "a direct artery for moving North Korean troops, construction brigades and military officials into Russia, with Russian technology and resources flowing in the opposite direction."

Photo: EPA

The ceremony on Monday marking the new bridge's opening came as Russia and North Korea have heavily boosted military and economic ties since Moscow launched its Ukraine offensive in 2022.

North Korea dispatched thousands of troops to Russia in 2024 to help ward off a Ukrainian incursion into the Kursk region, while Kyiv has accused Moscow of using North Korean missiles in its regular barrages.

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