North Korea and Russia have begun constructing the primary street bridge linking them throughout their river border, each governments mentioned on Thursday as they develop bilateral ties following the deployment of North Korean troops and weapons to assist Russia’s conflict in opposition to Ukraine.
The 2 nations held a simultaneous groundbreaking ceremony for the two-lane bridge on their respective sides of the border on Wednesday, in response to their state media. They at the moment have a cross-border railway hyperlink.
“It is a huge milestone for Russian-Korean relations,” Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin of Russia mentioned when he talked along with his North Korean counterpart, Pak Thae-song, via a video hyperlink on Wednesday, in response to the Russian information company Tass.
Mr. Pak mentioned that the brand new bridge would mark “a historic monument” to the efforts by North Korea’s chief, Kim Jong-un, and President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia to deepen bilateral relations, the North’s official Korean Central Information Company mentioned.
The brand new bridge shall be a little bit over a half-mile lengthy, and its development is predicted to take 18 months, in response to Russian state media. When the bridge is accomplished, it can assist develop passenger and business visitors, in addition to tourism, the North’s state media mentioned.
North Korea and Russia, whose relations had cooled within the post-Chilly Battle many years, have reinvigorated their ties since 2023, when North Korea began supplying Russia with artillery shells, ballistic missiles and different standard weapons to assist support its conflict in opposition to Ukraine.
When Mr. Putin visited Pyongyang final June, the 2 nations signed a treaty on a comprehensive strategic partnership, which referred to as for mutual protection and financial and different cooperation. Throughout that go to, they agreed to assemble a bridge for vehicles over the Tumen River, which runs alongside North Korea’s borders with Russia and China.
Later final yr, North Korea additionally started sending its troops to struggle alongside Russian forces to assist them retake territories misplaced to Ukraine in its Kursk area.
On Monday, North Korea confirmed its troop deployment for the primary time, and Mr. Putin formally thanked the nation, promising to not overlook the sacrifices of the North Korean troopers.
North Korea has despatched 15,000 troops to Russia and suffered 4,700 casualties, together with 600 killed, whose our bodies have been cremated and repatriated to the North, South Korean intelligence officers advised Parliament this week.
In return, Russia has supplied North Korea with air protection missiles, digital warfare tools, drones and spy satellite tv for pc applied sciences, they mentioned. Russia additionally imported 15,000 North Korean staff who earn money for Mr. Kim’s authorities, they mentioned.
When North Korea unveiled its largest navy ship, which it referred to as a 5,000-ton destroyer, final week, analysts mentioned it was fitted with varied weapons methods, a few of which appeared to have been constructed with Russian assist. On Wednesday, North Korea mentioned Mr. Kim watched the check launch of missiles from the ship earlier this week.
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