Bridge across the Tumen River opened between Russia and North Korea — South China Morning Post
A new road bridge about a kilometre long across the Tumen River was opened on the Russia–North Korea border on September 7. It connects the North Korean city of Rason with Russia’s Khasan and is the first dedicated road crossing between the two countries.
As the South China Morning Post reports, the authorities of the aggressor state Russia said that the crossing is intended to reduce transport costs, promote trade and economic cooperation, and ensure year-round traffic.
Significance for China
The publication notes that the bridge is of strategic importance to China. Beijing has long sought broader access to the Sea of Japan via the Tumen River, as the Chinese provinces of Jilin and Heilongjiang are located near the sea but have no direct sea access.
The lower reaches of the Tumen River run between the territories of Russia and North Korea, so access to the sea route depends on cooperation with Moscow and Pyongyang. According to SCMP, the bridge does not formally deprive China of navigation rights on the river, but it strengthens physical and political barriers in this direction.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
The article also compares the speed of implementation of the Russian-North Korean project with China’s New Yalu River Bridge, which has stood unused since 2014. According to the publication, North Korea began building a highway leading to it only in 2020.
Possible military use
SCMP suggests that the new land route could facilitate further transportation of weapons, military personnel and strategically important materials from North Korea to Russia. North Korea stated that the bridge is intended for “personnel exchanges, tourism and trade.”
At the same time, a Ukrainian investigative organization suggested that the crossing’s main purpose could be a covert military logistics corridor to support Russia’s war against Ukraine. Russian media reported that, in the future, the crossing could handle up to 300 vehicles and 2,323 people per day.
In July, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Russia was preparing to receive another 30,000 troops from North Korea. The publication notes that a permanent road connection could potentially support not only trade and tourism, but also further military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang.
