Russia and North Korea open first road connection

O russian prime minister, Mikhail Mishustin, who participated in the video conference ceremony, considered this new historical link and related the new infrastructure to the need to increase the logistical and transport potential of the Russian Far East.

The bridge, just over a mile long was built on the Tumannaya River, in the region of Primorsky Krai, Russia, whose capital is Vladivostok.

Mishustin said that up to 300 vehicles a day will be able to cross the border in the framework of a project initiated in April last year after receiving the approval of both leaders, Vladimir Putin of Russia, and Kim Jong-un of North Korea.

“ Relations between Russia and North Korea are currently at an unprecedented level of strategic partnership. Our countries actively cooperate in almost all areas and also coordinate efforts to ensure regional security and stability.”, he added.

Russia and North Korea Open First Road Bridge Between the Two Countries

The new crossing over the Tumannaya (Tumen) River, approximately one kilometer long, has been named after Yakov Novichenko, a Red Army officer and Hero of Labor of the DPRK.

Construction of the bridge began.. pic.twitter. with/rG89FwrrQS

— Elisabeth Eliseeva September 7, 2026

The bridge was named Yakov Novichenko, a Red Army officer who in 1946 saved Kim Il-sung, founder of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (the official name of North Korea), during a grenade attack.

Until then, the only land link between the two countries was the Friendship Bridge, a railway link, leading both sides to affirm that the new road will allow for increased trade and tourism.

In mid-July, Putin received North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui for the second time in less than a year.

During this visit, Putin once again expressed gratitude for North Korea’s military assistance in the Russian military campaign in Ukraine, something that Russia said “will never forget.”.

Putin traveled to Pyongyang in mid 2024 for the first time in 25 years to sign an agreement that included a mutual defense clause in case of aggression.