The New Yalu River Bridge between China and North Korea is scheduled to open on 15 October, with a joint ceremony announced by Xinhua. Completed in 2014, the four-lane crossing remained unused while infrastructure on the North Korean side was unfinished. It connects Dandong with Sinuiju and is intended to supplement the older Friendship Bridge.
China and North Korea have scheduled the opening of the New Yalu River Bridge for 15 October. China’s Xinhua news agency announced the date and said the two sides would hold a joint ceremony.[1], [2]
The crossing links Dandong in China with Sinuiju in North Korea. Construction of the four-lane road bridge started in October 2011 and finished in October 2014, separating the completed structure from its planned use by years.[1]
The bridge remained unused because the required buildings and connecting infrastructure on the North Korean side had not been finished. Vehicles have recently been observed crossing. Yonhap described those sightings as possible test runs ahead of the announced opening. Its account does not confirm an earlier start to regular traffic. The announcement follows a June summit in Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital, where Kim Jong-un and Xi Jinping pledged stronger exchanges and strategic-level relations.[1]
The new route supplements the Friendship Bridge, which opened in 1943 and has long been the principal bridge crossing over the Yalu River between the two countries. Yonhap said the additional crossing was expected to relieve congestion on the older one-way road. It also described expectations for greater trade and movement of people. The announced timetable concerns the forthcoming ceremony and start of operations, with the opening still ahead when the news was published.[1]
