[Anchor]

A land route allowing vehicle traffic between North Korea and Russia has opened for the first time. Previously, only railway access existed, but a 1-kilometer road bridge crossing the Tumen River opened yesterday (Sept. 7).

Reporter Kim Hye-young looks at what changes this will bring to North Korea-Russia relations.

[Reporter]

Trucks drive across a bridge draped with both North Korean and Russian flags.

The first vehicle bridge over the Tumen River, connecting North Korea's Rason and Russia's Khasan, opened yesterday.

The main span of the bridge is approximately 1 kilometer long.

The Russian government stated that 300 vehicles can pass through per day.

Until now, the North Korea-Russia border only featured a railway bridge opened in 1959.

There was no dedicated road for automobiles, but following an agreement on its construction at the North Korea-Russia summit in June 2024, construction began in April of last year, leading to the opening ceremony 495 days later.

[Pak Tae-song / North Korean Premier : Long live the invincible North Korea-Russia friendship and unity!]

The bridge was named after Yakov Novichenko, a Soviet military officer who shielded North Korean leader Kim Il-sung from a grenade in 1946.

Both countries evaluated the bridge as an opportunity to expand cooperative ties that have been elevated to a blood alliance level through events such as North Korea's troop deployment to the Russia-Ukraine war.

[Mikhail Mishustin / Russian Prime Minister : We will ensure that the decisions adopted at the highest level are implemented to further expand cooperation in all areas between Russia and North Korea.]

Experts believe the new road is highly likely to be utilized primarily as a passage supporting military and energy cooperation between North Korea and Russia.

[Lim Eul-chul / Professor, Institute for Far Eastern Studies, Kyungnam University : Petroleum-related products that North Korea needs most are likely to flow in primarily, and toward the Russian side, various military-related goods and military personnel are likely to flow in.]

Projections also suggest its usage could expand to tourism and other areas in the future.

(Video Editing: Cho Moo-hwan)