Russia plans to launch a bus route connecting Vladivostok and the Rason Special Economic Zone in North Korea within this year, the U.S.-based North Korea-focused media outlet NK News reported on July 1 (local time), citing Russia's state-run RIA Novosti news agency.

According to the report, which identified Yevgeny Volosatov, an official from the Russian Foreign Ministry, the travel agency Vostok Intour was selected as the operator for the route in May of this year.

Vostok Intour, which has also received official authorization from North Korean authorities as a travel agency, had effectively held a monopoly on North Korean tourism for Russians since 2024, though other Russian competitors have only recently begun exploring the market.

This news comes as the completion of a new road bridge connecting North Korea and Russia across the Tumen River approaches.

The bridge was constructed following an agreement between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin to build a road connection during their summit in Pyongyang in 2024.

Russia had previously stated that both sides intended to complete the bridge by June 19 of this year, the second anniversary of the Pyongyang summit. However, the bridge has yet to open, despite both sides connecting their respective sections of the construction in April of this year.

Once completed, this facility will mark the first road connection between the two countries, sharing the traffic burden with the old railway bridge located on the upper Tumen River.

NK News reported that recent satellite imagery analysis suggests North Korea has nearly finished its border crossing facilities, but there has been no progress on the much larger checkpoint construction that Russia committed to building.

The Khasan checkpoint facility will span 4.7 kilometers, including the 1-kilometer-long bridge itself.

A 300-meter section of the bridge is located directly above the water surface.

The facility is expected to feature 10 vehicle lanes and handle up to 300 vehicles per day.

NK News estimated the construction cost of the Russian side's checkpoint at 170 million dollars (264 billion won), noting that Russia had initially agreed to cover approximately 110 million dollars (171 billion won).

(Photo: Korean Central News Agency, Yonhap News)