MOSCOW, 7 September, 2026 (Kamran Raja): North Korea and Russia have opened their first road bridge, spanning the Tumen River, in a development described by both countries as an important milestone in their growing strategic partnership, Russia’s state news agency TASS reported on Monday. The new bridge is located near the existing “Friendship Bridge,” a railway crossing commissioned in 1959 following the Korean War. Russia and North Korea already have direct air and rail connections between Moscow and Pyongyang. Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said the new bridge would promote development in various sectors, including tourism, while creating new employment opportunities. He said the expansion of cross-border transport infrastructure would provide a strong impetus to trade and cooperation in economic, scientific, technological and cultural fields. Construction of the bridge, which had been discussed for several years, began in April 2025 following an agreement reached during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to North Korea in 2024. Relations between Moscow and Pyongyang have strengthened significantly since Russia’s war in Ukraine began in 2022, with North Korea sending thousands of troops to Russia’s Kursk region to help repel a Ukrainian incursion in 2024.