Russia: Bridge-building with North Korea
In the far east, well away from world events, Russia and North Korea are building their first road connection. The project has set alarm bells
In the far east, well away from world events, Russia and North Korea are building their first road connection. The project has set alarm bells ringing in Ukraine. For years, Khasan was little more than a very remote place on the edge of Russia. Less than 500 people live in the village in the country's far east, more than 5,600 miles (9,012 kilometers) from Moscow. But it's here that Russia shares a mere 10.5-mile border with North Korea — and Khasan is the only Russian settlement along that short stretch. Since 1959, the so-called Korean-Russian Friendship Railway Bridge has crossed the Tumen River here, serving as the only land connection between the two countries. But in recent years, Russia and North Korea have been building a parallel road bridge just a few hundred yards away. The bridge is now nearing completion ahead of schedule, raising concerns in Kyiv that Russia could use it to secretly bring North Korean troops to the front lines in Ukraine. Since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Moscow and Pyongyang haveimproved their ties. Both countries face Western sanctions and are diplomatically largely isolated. In June 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a strategic partnership deal which in part focused on expanding military cooperation. That meant large-scale weapons shipments as well as the deployment of North Korean soldiers to support Russia's war in Ukraine.
At the same time, both governments agreed to build the new road bridge. "The opening of the new bridge will boost bilateral trade, optimize logistics, strengthen cultural ties and transform border regions into dynamically growing economic centers," Russian Transport Minister Andrey Nikitin said at the time. Not particularly attractive to tourists: until now, the only crossing over the border river was an old, single-lane "Railway Bridge of Friendship." Image: Yuri Smityuk/TASS/picture alliance The Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) has also pointed to the bridge's economic significance, noting that "the pace at which construction of the road bridge is progressing, and the continued high level of rail traffic at previously dormant rail yards, are clear indicators of the importance and expansion of trade between the two countries during Russia's ongoing war against Ukraine." A project for trade and tourism? But according to British newspaper The Guardian, there are major doubts that civilian economic goals are the project's true primary purpose. Official data shows that trade between Russia and North Korea amounted to just $34 million in 2024. The bridge and its immediate infrastructure are thought to cost roughly $100 million. Satellite pictures of the site show warehouses, customs facilities, truck areas and a helicopter pad being built. Cultivating a "strategic partnership": North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Image: Sergey Bobylev/Sputnik/REUTERS Ukrainian human rights organization Truth Hounds, which has been monitoring the project, also doubts the bridge is for tourism.
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