Tumen River Automobile Bridge Linking North Korea and Russia Opens... Russia Calls It a “Historic Moment”

[Financial News] TASS reported that the opening ceremony for the Tumen River automobile bridge linking North Korea and Russia was held on the 5th local time.
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and North Korean Premier Park Tae-sung attended the bridge-opening ceremony via video link.
Prime Minister Mishustin said, "Last spring, we jointly embarked on this ambitious project, and just 16 months later, we are witnessing a historic moment."
Mishustin explained that the bridge was designed to accommodate projected increases in freight and passenger traffic. "Up to 300 vehicles can cross per day," he said. He added that the bridge is part of the ‘East-West International Transport Corridor,’ which runs from Saint Petersburg in western Russia to Vladivostok in the Far East.
Mishustin said expanding transportation infrastructure at the border would provide a powerful impetus for the development of trade, economic, scientific, technological and cultural cooperation between the two countries. "New jobs will be created, and the outlook for the tourism industry will also brighten," he said.
Premier Park Tae-sung assessed that "thanks to the outstanding foresight and strategic leadership of the leaders of North Korea and Russia, mutually beneficial exchanges and long-term cooperation projects are being actively implemented in all areas based on the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty," TASS reported.
The Tumen River automobile bridge was named after Yakov Novichenko, a Soviet military officer who blocked a grenade thrown at then-North Korean leader Kim Il Sung in 1946.
At the ceremony, Nikolai Shervitsky, Novichenko’s grandson, personally drove the red Zaporozhets passenger car once owned by Novichenko during his lifetime, leading the Russian vehicle convoy across the bridge.
Construction of the new Tumen River automobile bridge was agreed upon at the North Korea–Russia summit held in Pyongyang in June 2024. Work began last April near the existing Tumen River railway bridge. The Russian government said at the bridge-linking ceremony in April that the bridge was scheduled for completion on June 19, meaning the project was delayed by about three months.
The Tumen River automobile bridge was built with two lanes in each direction. The entire bridge, including the connecting sections, is approximately 5 km long, while the main bridge structure is about 1 km long. The border checkpoint for vehicles using the bridge, located near Khasan railway station in Russia, was built with 10 lanes.  

[email protected] International Affairs Specialist Lee Seok-woo Reporter