Russia and North Korea officially opened the Yakov Novichenko Bridge on September 7, 2026, marking the first road crossing directly linking the two countries across the Tumen River. The infrastructure, costing approximately $104 million, is designed to handle up to 300 vehicles and between 2,300 and 2,850 pedestrians per day. The project originated from a summit between Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un in June 2024, with construction beginning on April 30, 2025, and lasting roughly 16 months. Previously, the only direct connection between the two nations was a rail bridge operational since 1959. For Pyongyang, this new road link provides an alternative to its historical reliance on China as its primary gateway to the outside world.
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