Pyongyang and the Kremlin are working together on building a land bridge between North Korea and Russia to increase transnational cooperation.
Russian Ambassador to North Korea Alexander Matsegora announced the project to the Russian state media this week.
“The parties are carrying out preparatory work, finalizing design documentation, forming construction crews and columns of equipment,” Matsegora said, clarifying that “construction of the bridge has not yet begun.”
The bridge was initially approved during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s meeting with North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un last year, but the countries are only now making moves to begin implementing the plan.
Officials say the bridge will be 2,789 feet long and connect the two countries via a road across the Tumen River.
South Korean analysts with SI Analytics released a report on March 5 showing satellite image evidence that preliminary construction is already underway.
“This could potentially lead to a gradual erosion of the effectiveness of international sanctions against North Korea and Russia,” the report warned.
Beyond its obvious economic value, the infrastructure project is symbolic of deepening ties between two of the world’s most renegade and sanctioned nations.
North Korea continues to provide military aid to Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, including mercenaries and weaponry.
Approximately 11,000 North Korean soldiers were initially sent to Russia last year, along with munitions and artillery shells. South Korea estimates that approximately 4,000 of those North Korean combatants were killed.
The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff now estimate that “an additional 3,000 troops were sent between January and February as reinforcements” to aid the Russian military.
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North Korea also continues to send its ally short-range ballistic missiles, rocket launchers, and self-propelled guns for use on the front lines.
Pyongyang is pumping substantial resources into the development of AI-powered drones, “keeping with the trend of modern warfare.”
