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The construction began on a road bridge that would connect North Korea and Russia to the Tumen River that separates countries, revealed South Korean satellite images.
It would be the first road bridge between these two allies, allowing trucks and buses to transfer goods and people. There is already a railway bridge between the two countries, which have recently strengthened links.
The South Korean company Si Analytics announced that it had captured the photos on March 3, and they showed that the preparatory work had started for an 830 meter road section (900 yards), including the bridge over the frozen river in the northeast part of North Korea.
Experts said that when it is finished, the bridge will probably stimulate trade and tourism in North Korea and may increase Moscow’s influence in the region.
An expert said that he seems to be that Russia has agreed to build this bridge in exchange for North Korean support in his war with Ukraine. North Korea has sent around 12,000 soldiers to fight in the Russian war against Ukraine, although neither Moscow nor Pyongyang confirmed it publicly.
Preliminary staging
On the Russian side of the border, the satellite images show that the preliminary work for the bridge reaches less than 300 meters (330 meters) of the land.
A yellow structure, considered as a pillar that would hold the bridge, can be seen on the frozen surface of the river. In addition, building materials can be seen in a staging area on the Russian side.
“The bases will be completed before the degerations of the river, the real bridge pillars being installed in the spring,” said if Analytics.
Meanwhile, on the North Korean side, the construction is underway on the road which would connect to the bridge. It seems that the soil has been compacted, but the road has not yet been paved. Heavy equipment such as bulldozers, trucks and small cars can be seen on the construction site.
Moscow has selected the contracting company Tonelyuzhstroy LLC, to supervise the design and construction of the bridge, with a deadline for the completion set for December 31, 2026, interfax.ru reported.
“Although the Russian government has allocated a two -year construction period, it seems that the haste to finish the bases even in the bitter cold is intended to show” tangible results “in accordance with the requirements of Russian president Vladimir Putin,” said if Analytics.
Observers of North Korea have said that the construction of the bridge would be a boon for land shipping between North Korea and Russia, because a single other bridge connecting the two countries exists, and it is only for trains.
The new bridge will contribute to the economic growth of North Korea, Joung Eunlee, a researcher at the Institute of National Unification of Seoul Korea, told RFA Korean.
“Land roads can actively transport much more logistics and people than railways,” she said. “If a bridge is built between North Korea and Russia, the volume of goods transported will be much higher than the railways, the transport time will be faster and the volume of commerce will probably increase.”
Quid pro quo?
The bridge is probably built in return from the North Korean military support of Russia in its war with Ukraine, said Bruce Bennett of the Rand Corporation, based in the United States.
“The creation of a new bridge would be a direct way for Russia to increase trade with North Korea,” he said. “I believe that there is no doubt that it is, at least, a partial gain in North Korea.”
The new bridge should lead to an increase in economic, social and military exchanges and could weaken the effectiveness of sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear ambitions, said if Analytics. In addition, it could reorganize the balance of powers in the region, increasing Russian influence to the detriment of the Chinese.
“China’s response will probably be a key variable in the future,” said if Analytics.
But the global effect of the new bridge could also be relatively mild, Kim Young-Hee, of the North Korean Institute of Studies, at Dongguk University in South Korea, told RFA.
“It would have an economic effect, but North Korea would require a lot of train trips or by car to allow trade with Russia,” she said. “Geographically, China is better. Russia is far away, so transport costs are higher than trade with China. »»
She said that trade with China was more profitable, so Pyongyang would probably still be a business with Beijing.
Translated by Claire s Lee. Published by Eugene WHHONG and MALCOLM FOSTER.