Moscow says the project will boost trade and highlight the two countries’ strong alliance.
Russia and North Korea have begun construction of their first-ever road bridge on the Tumen River, which forms the natural border between the allied countries, describing it as a symbol of their deepening partnership.
Announcing the project on Wednesday, Russia’s Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said it would reduce transport costs, facilitate trade and promote tourism.
“This is truly a milestone for Russian-Korean relations,” Mishustin said during a video meeting with Pak Thae-song, chairman of North Korea’s Supreme People’s Assembly.
“The significance goes far beyond just an engineering task … it symbolises our common desire to strengthen friendly, good-neighbourly relations and increase interregional cooperation,” he added.
There is already a rusting, Soviet-era rail bridge across the Tumen River.
“Another road will allow entrepreneurs to significantly increase the volume of transport [goods] and reduce transport costs – and, of course, open up good prospects for tourism,” said Mishustin.
Russia’s Kommersant newspaper said the bridge will be ready by mid-2026.
‘Eternal historical monument’
Russian state TV aired footage from the site, showing North Koreans dressed in suits, standing in line during a ceremony marking the start of construction.
“It will become an eternal historical memorial structure symbolising the unbreakable Korean-Russian friendly relations,” North Korea’s Pak Thae-song said, according to a Russian translation.
The governor of Russia’s Primorye region, Oleg Kozhemyako, who attended the ceremony, said he hoped it would boost contact between the countries.
“There are many sportspeople and children going there,” he said, without elaborating.
North Korea and Russia, two of the most sanctioned countries in the world, have leaned into their alliance during Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Pyongyang has repeatedly voiced strong support for Russia’s invasion and even sent thousands of its own troops to fight alongside the Russians.
About 600 North Korean soldiers have died in the war, South Korean lawmakers said Wednesday, citing intelligence officials.
North Korea is also accused by Kyiv of supplying Russia with heavy weapons it has used in battle, including a missile that killed a dozen people in Kyiv last week.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin signed a strategic partnership with Pyongyang last year that committed both countries to providing immediate military assistance to each other using “all means” necessary if either faces “aggression”.
Putin has since hailed the North Korean troops fighting Ukraine, with the Kremlin even considering them parading on Red Square during World War II commemorations on May 9.