North Korea nears completion of bridge with China, analytics firm says — SkimNews
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- North Korea is completing its section of the 3-km New Yalu River bridge with China, suggesting an imminent opening after more than a decade of delays, according to SI Analytics satellite image analysis.
- SI Analytics reported that structural work on North Korea's customs and immigration facility will be nearly complete by early September — executed in just four months via Pyongyang's 'speed battle' campaign after 12 years of stalling.
- China completed its side of the dual-carriageway bridge in 2014, designed to link free trade zones in Dandong with North Korea's Sinuiju, but Pyongyang left its side unfinished amid tensions over nuclear tests.
- Xi Jinping's June visit to North Korea preceded the bridge work's resumption, alongside the restart of passenger train services and direct flights between the two capitals.
- North Korea built a large border gateway at its bridge entry emblazoned with 'Democratic People's Republic of Korea' and a national flag, with satellite images showing road paving, landscaping, and removal of auxiliary support buildings.
- North Korea and Russia opened their first road bridge on Monday, and combined with the Yalu bridge, the developments mean North Korea now has major new transport networks on both its eastern and western flanks.
Why it matters: The bridge's accelerated completion, triggered by Xi's June visit, reconnects North Korea to its largest economic partner after years of COVID-era isolation. Together with Monday's Russia road link, North Korea now has simultaneous overland corridors to both Beijing and Moscow — diversifying its trade options and giving it leverage with each patron for the first time in years.
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