Russia & North Korea consider building new cross-border bridge
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a study to examine a car bridge project that would connect Russia’s Primorsky Region with North Korea, the president’s envoy to the Far Eastern federal district has said.
“This question was discussed during Vladimir Putin’s meeting with the North Korean leader. The head of the state tasked the Far Eastern Development Ministry with analyzing this project,” Yuri Trutnev said on Monday.
The ministry said earlier that North Korea will provide workforce and construction materials for the project while Russia will “give the necessary equipment.”
The automobile bridge is planned to be built in accordance with Russian standards. The neighboring countries have long-contemplated a bridge that could allow more vehicles to move across the border without a lengthy by-pass through China.
They are currently connected with a rail bridge over the Tumen River. The crossing, dubbed the Korea Russia Friendship Bridge, was opened in 1959 and offers Russia and North Korea a basic rail connection.
The 39.4km (25 miles) border with North Korea (of which about 22km is made up of maritime boundaries) is the shortest of Russia’s international borders.
Last week, the leaders of the two nations held their first meeting in Vladivostok, in Russia’s Far East.
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