The new road bridge between Russia and North Korea will be behind the old railway bridge from Soviet times.Image: www.imago-images.de
A road bridge is to connect Russia with North Korea for the first time. New satellite images show how far construction has progressed. The two states want to deepen their already close cooperation.
November 10, 2025, 11:28 amNovember 10, 2025, 11:28 am
Since 2023, Russia and North Korea have intensified their close cooperation through a series of summits. In June 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un finally signed a new “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty,” which strengthened bilateral relations and included an obligation to provide military assistance.
Also part of the new strategic partnership is the construction of the first road bridge over the border river Tumen, which will connect the two states. So far there is only a rusty railway bridge from Soviet times between Russia and North Korea.
Construction work on the new road bridge began in April this year. A current report from the US think tank “Center for Strategic and International Studies” (CSIS) now describes in detail the progress of the past six months, as the US news magazine says “Newsweek” reported.
April 2025: The first preparatory work for the bridge over the Tumen is already underway.Image: Maxar
May 2025: A large construction site has emerged on both sides of the Tumen bank.Image: Maxar
Satellite images show how the building on the Russian side now protrudes about 110 meters into the river. The pillars designed to support the bridge piers – structures that transfer the weight of the bridge deck to the foundation – have already been completed.
On the North Korean side, the construction site extends almost 150 meters into the river. According to CSIS, six bridge piers were erected on land and foundations were excavated for two additional support piers. Work on the ramp and the abutment that connects the bridge deck to the road is also well advanced.
September 27, 2025: The first bridge pillars are already in the riverbed. image: maxar
According to Russian state media, the new road bridge between the two dictatorships will be almost five kilometers long after completion (including access roads). It’s not just the bridge that’s being built diligently: According to CSIS, a border complex of around five square kilometers is being built on the North Korean side, with a warehouse, customs building, vehicle workshop, various outbuildings and a parking lot that will be intended for truck handovers. The drivers have to be replaced at the border because they are not allowed to drive into the other country.
“The speed at which the road bridge is being built and the continued brisk train traffic in the previously quiet marshalling yard between the two countries clearly show how important expanding trade has become during Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine,” said the CSIS analysts.
The new bridge will have no direct impact on the war with Ukraine, explains North Korea expert Frederic Spohr to the “Bild” newspaper. But the project shows how ambitiously the states are pushing forward their cooperation. Spohr believes that the new bridge will make it even harder to monitor trade between the two countries and that Russia may be able to avoid sanctions against its own ships thanks to the bridge.
Despite the upcoming winter break, CSIS experts expect the bridge to be completed in the first quarter of 2026.