In a sign of increasing economic partnership between the two nations, construction of a Road Bridge has been planned, and a contract has been awarded to a contractor. The bridge is to be completed by the end of 2026.
North Korea’s only land connection to Russia is a single rail bridge, so a road crossing is expected to increase trade and tourism once it is connected to a road network.
A similar road bridge, the New Yalu, was built between North Korea and China about 10 years ago, but has yet to open because the Koreans have not built a road at their end. As a result, all traffic between the two countries must use the Sino–Korean Friendship Bridge, completed in 1943.
Building a road bridge has been a recurring feature of Russian-Korean relations.