By Kyu-seok Shim
SEOUL, July 1 (Reuters) – North Korea and Russia appear unlikely to open a road bridge connecting their countries in the near term, despite an earlier mid-June target, after satellite imagery showed Russian-side facilities unfinished, U.S. think tank 38 North said.
The 850-metre (2,789-ft) bridge, which will connect to Russia’s highway system, was agreed during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Pyongyang in June 2024, and will be a first road link between the two. The Russian embassy in Pyongyang had said in April that it would open on June 19.
Analysts have said the bridge could eventually increase logistics activity by more than 40% and help North Korea reduce its heavy reliance on China by deepening economic ties with Russia.
38 North, citing satellite imagery, said on Tuesday that the bridge over the Tumen River appears complete and North Korean border facilities are largely finished, but much more work is needed on the Russian side before the crossing can become operational.
The North Korean side has a large warehouse, parking lot, paved access roads and what appears to be a completed frontier post, while Russia’s probable customs complex is far less advanced and is likely to be at least three times larger, the think tank said.
Russia’s transport ministry declined to comment. The North Korean embassy in Moscow did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The project has been a symbol of deepening ties between Moscow and Pyongyang. The two countries have drawn closer in recent years thanks to military exchanges surrounding Russia’s war in Ukraine that have in turn attracted scrutiny from the United States and South Korea.
Doo Jin-ho, head of the Eurasia Center at the Korea Research Institute for National Strategy in Seoul, said the bridge had originally been expected to open by the end of the year, and the accelerated June target appeared to have been more of a political “gift”.
Russia and North Korea held a ceremony in April to mark the linking of the bridge. Russia’s transport ministry has said the crossing would be able to handle up to 300 vehicles and 2,850 people a day.
Doo said the delay was unlikely to cause immediate economic damage, but raised questions about policy coordination between Moscow and Pyongyang.
“The issue is more about trust and symbolism than economic impact.”
(Reporting by Kyu-seok Shim; Additional reporting by Brenda Goh and Gleb Stolyarov)
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