North Korea and Russia Complete Cross-Border Bridge, Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin to Attend Opening
A bridge connecting North Korea and Russia over the Tumen River has reached completion, with customs facilities built on the Chinese side and freight road surfaces finished on the Russian side. The opening ceremony is expected next month, with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin likely to attend. The event coincides with the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok.
Sources
New China-N. Korea bridge may open soon with customs facility built Japan Wire by Kyodo News
It is becoming increasingly likely that a road allowing direct car travel between North Korea and Russia will be opened next month. This is due to the fact that the construction of the North Korea-Russia automobile bridge, spanning the Tumen River, has reached its final stages. Particularly, there are reports that Kim Jong-un, the North Korean Supreme Leader, and Vladimir Putin, the Russian President, may both appear at the opening ceremony, coinciding with the Eastern Economic Forum held in Vladivostok from the 1st to the 4th of the same month. On April 21st, 38 North, a North Korea-focused media outlet, reported that based on satellite images captured by the private satellite company Planet Labs on April 22nd, the bridge is likely to be opened next month. The images showed that the road surface of the main road for freight vehicles had been completed after passing through the border and customs facilities on the Russian side, and that road construction was ongoing in the final hundreds of meters leading to the bridge. 38 North also noted that even if some facilities on the Russian side are not yet completed, the essential infrastructure required for vehicle traffic could be in place by next month. The two countries held a bridge connection ceremony on April 21st. Originally, the opening was planned for June 19th.