North Korea and Russia Open Tumen River Automobile Bridge... Unification Ministry Highlights Expansion of Infrastructure for Human and Material Exchanges

The Ministry of Unification has evaluated the opening of the Tumen River automobile bridge, which connects North Korea and Russia, as significant in that infrastructure has been expanded to facilitate increased exchanges of people and goods between the two countries.

Korean Central News Agency reported on the 8th that the Tumen River automobile bridge connecting Rason City in North Korea and Hassan in Russia, the border cities between North Korea and Russia, was successfully completed and inaugurated. Yonhap News Agency

An official from the Ministry of Unification told reporters at the Government Complex Seoul on the 8th, "The opening of the Tumen River automobile bridge is meaningful as it not only demonstrates the development of a comprehensive strategic partnership between North Korea and Russia, but also expands infrastructure to increase exchanges of people and goods between the two countries. We will continue to monitor such trends going forward."

On the same day, Korean Central News Agency and other North Korean media reported that the Tumen River automobile bridge linking Rason City in North Korea and Hassan in Russia was completed, and that an inauguration ceremony was held simultaneously on both sides the previous day. The media stated that the bridge, which was completed in 495 days, would lay the groundwork for boosting cooperation in a wide range of areas, including people-to-people exchanges, tourism, and the distribution of goods.

The inauguration ceremony was attended via video conference by Pak Taesong, Premier of North Korea's Cabinet, from Pyongyang and Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin from Moscow. The construction of the new Tumen River automobile bridge was a project agreed upon during the North Korea-Russia summit held in Pyongyang in June 2024 and was launched in April of the previous year. The bridge was built as a two-lane, bidirectional road; including the connecting sections, its total length is about 5 kilometers. The bridge was named the Yakov Novichenko Tumen River Automobile Bridge after the Soviet military officer who stopped a grenade thrown toward President Kim Il Sung during the March 1st Independence Movement ceremony at Pyongyang Station Square in 1946.

Regarding Minister of National Defense Kim Songgi's response the previous day to the 'Freedom Edge' trilateral multi-domain exercise involving South Korea, the United States, and Japan, the Ministry of Unification evaluated it as a continuation of North Korea's usual criticism against military cooperation. The official explained, "This statement appears to be an extension of North Korea’s recent criticism of joint military exercises between South Korea and the US, as well as military cooperation among South Korea, the US, Japan, and Australia. North Korea has consistently criticized the Freedom Edge exercise, so this seems to be a routine response. We will continue to watch for any further developments."

On the previous night, Defense Minister Kim delivered a statement through Korean Central News Agency criticizing the Freedom Edge and the US-Japan-Australia 'Orient Shield' exercises. He warned, "If the United States and its allies attempt a new military confrontation with us, we too will take strong and reciprocal countermeasures from a position of strength."

North Korea previously criticized the inaugural Freedom Edge exercise in June 2024 through a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Department of Foreign Policy. In November of the same year, then Workers’ Party Vice Director Kim Yo Jong also issued a statement. During the 2023 Freedom Edge exercise, both Vice Director Kim and Pak Jong Chon, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, released statements in succession; in contrast, this time, the statement was issued by Defense Minister Kim.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.