MOSCOW: Russia and North Korea started building the first road bridge between the neighbours Wednesday, both countries touting it as a symbol of their growing alliance.
Pyongyang emerged as one of Moscow's main allies during the Ukraine offensive, admitting this week it had sent thousands of troops to help Moscow fight off Ukraine from the Kursk region.
President Vladimir Putin, who signed a strategic partnership with Pyongyang, recently hailed the North's troops, and the Kremlin has not ruled out them parading on Red Square during World War II commemorations on May 9.
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced that work for the road link across the Tumen river had started, in a video meeting with the Chairman of North Korea's Supreme People's Assembly, Pak Thae-song.
The river forms the natural border between the two countries.
"This is a truly a milestone for Russian-Korean relations," Mishustin said.
There is already a rusting, Soviet-era rail bridge across the river, but Mishustin said a road link was needed to "symbolise our common striving towards strengthening friendly relations", as well as to boost trade and tourism ties.
Russia and North Korea, the world's most reclusive state, are among the most sanctioned countries in the world.
"Another road will allow entrepreneurs to significantly increase the volume of transport (goods) and reduce transport costs and, of course, open up good prospects for tourism," said Mishustin.
Russian state TV aired footage from the site, showing North Koreans dressed in suits, standing in line during the ceremony.
"It will become an eternal historical memorial structure symbolising the unbreakable Korean-Russian friendly relations," North Korea's Pak Thae-song said, according to a Russian translation.
The governor of the Primorye Region, Oleg Kozhemyako, who attended the ceremony, said he hoped it would boost contact between the countries.
"There are many sportspeople and children going there," he said, without elaborating.
Putin said last year that North Korea had hosted children of Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine at summer camps. Kozhemyako's proposal to send children there on holiday led to complaints from some local parents.
Ukraine says it has found fragments of North Korean weapons on the battlefield since Moscow's offensive began. Last week, it said a missile that killed a dozen people in Kyiv was North Korean.
Pyongyang emerged as one of Moscow's main allies during the Ukraine offensive, admitting this week it had sent thousands of troops to help Moscow fight off Ukraine from the Kursk region.
President Vladimir Putin, who signed a strategic partnership with Pyongyang, recently hailed the North's troops, and the Kremlin has not ruled out them parading on Red Square during World War II commemorations on May 9.
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced that work for the road link across the Tumen river had started, in a video meeting with the Chairman of North Korea's Supreme People's Assembly, Pak Thae-song.
The river forms the natural border between the two countries.
"This is a truly a milestone for Russian-Korean relations," Mishustin said.
There is already a rusting, Soviet-era rail bridge across the river, but Mishustin said a road link was needed to "symbolise our common striving towards strengthening friendly relations", as well as to boost trade and tourism ties.
Russia and North Korea, the world's most reclusive state, are among the most sanctioned countries in the world.
"Another road will allow entrepreneurs to significantly increase the volume of transport (goods) and reduce transport costs and, of course, open up good prospects for tourism," said Mishustin.
Russian state TV aired footage from the site, showing North Koreans dressed in suits, standing in line during the ceremony.
"It will become an eternal historical memorial structure symbolising the unbreakable Korean-Russian friendly relations," North Korea's Pak Thae-song said, according to a Russian translation.
The governor of the Primorye Region, Oleg Kozhemyako, who attended the ceremony, said he hoped it would boost contact between the countries.
"There are many sportspeople and children going there," he said, without elaborating.
Putin said last year that North Korea had hosted children of Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine at summer camps. Kozhemyako's proposal to send children there on holiday led to complaints from some local parents.
Ukraine says it has found fragments of North Korean weapons on the battlefield since Moscow's offensive began. Last week, it said a missile that killed a dozen people in Kyiv was North Korean.
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