Satellite Images Show North Korea-Russia Road Bridge Nearing Completion

Satellite images analyzed by BBC Verify show the first road bridge connecting North Korea and Russia is nearing completion.

The bridge spans the Tumen River a few hundred meters from the only other link between the countries, a rail connection called the Friendship Bridge. Latest imagery reveals the kilometer-long structure along with new access roads, a border checkpoint, support infrastructure and parking facilities.

Experts expect the crossing to serve as an important trade route. Dr Edward Howell, Korea Foundation Fellow at the Chatham House think tank, said, "This bridge will offer a useful route to transfer military goods and munitions - both to North Korea and to Russia."

An agreement to build the bridge came during Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Pyongyang in June 2024, when he met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Construction started about a year later, and BBC Verify has tracked progress with satellite imagery.

Known as the Khasan–Tumangang Bridge, the structure can handle up to 300 vehicles and 2,850 people a day, according to Russia's transport ministry. Russian state media estimate the total cost exceeds 9 billion roubles ($120 million).

Victor Cha from the Center for Strategic and International Studies said, "The speed of construction is a reflection of the volume of trade activity between the two sides." He added, "This is spurred largely by North Korea's provision of troops, weapons, munitions, and labourers for Putin's war in Ukraine."

Russian and North Korean drivers will likely transfer lorries full of goods at the crossing, as they face restrictions on operating vehicles deeper into each other's territories, according to the CSIS.

The countries held a ceremony on April 21 to mark the joining of the bridge's two sides. Russia's embassy in North Korea said construction will finish on June 19. Russia's foreign ministry called the opening "a truly landmark stage in Russian–Korean relations. Its significance goes far beyond a purely engineering task."

Rail traffic over the nearby Friendship Bridge has stayed high during road bridge construction as trade expands, per the CSIS. Cha noted, "It is fair to say that this connection, prior to the war in Ukraine, was one of the sleepiest links between North Korea and its two neighbours."

Putin and Kim also signed an agreement during the 2024 visit pledging mutual help in case of aggression against either country. South Korea reports North Korea sent 15,000 troops to aid Russia, along with missiles and long-range weapons, with about 2,000 North Koreans killed. Neither Pyongyang nor Moscow has confirmed those figures, but Kim Jong Un and Russian Defence Minister Andrey Belousov last week unveiled a memorial in Pyongyang for North Koreans who died in the Ukraine war.

Additional reporting by Paul Brown