Russia and North Korea opened their first road bridge across the Tumen River after months of delays. The one-kilometre, two-lane crossing links Khasan with Tumangang and is designed to handle as many as 300 vehicles a day. Prime ministers Mikhail Mishustin and Pak Thae Song joined the ceremony by video link, while vehicle convoys crossed from both countries.
Russia and North Korea opened the first road bridge across their shared border on Monday. The Tumen River crossing connects Khasan in Russia's far east with Tumangang in North Korea. The Guardian, The Moscow Times and CNA confirm the same opening in separate reports. Rail and air services already linked the two countries; the new structure adds the first direct road link to that network.[1], [2], [3]
The bridge is one kilometre long and has two lanes. CNA reports the Russian government's statement that the crossing was designed for expected growth in passenger and freight traffic and could handle as many as 300 vehicles a day. The Moscow Times puts the cost at 9 billion rubles and says the opening followed months of construction delays. These figures describe designed capacity and construction scale, rather than traffic already recorded each day.[2], [3]
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and North Korean Prime Minister Pak Thae Song joined the traffic-opening ceremony by video link. The Guardian and CNA report that vehicles from both countries crossed afterward; Russian government footage carried by CNA showed trucks moving past applauding people lining the road. According to The Guardian, the bridge is named after Soviet officer Yakov Novichenko. The ceremony thus made the new road connection visible through its first reciprocal crossings.[1], [2], [3]
