China
New North Korea-China Bridge Could Open Soon, 12 Years After Completion
Satellite imagery indicates North Korea is nearing completion of the New Yalu River Bridge to China, potentially doubling trade volume and relieving pressure on the existing bridge. Construction resumed in 2025 after funding agreements, with an opening expected soon, enhancing economic ties.
North Korea is close to completing a long-delayed new bridge to China, satellite imagery analyzed by Radio Free Asia shows.
Experts said that once the new bridge connecting Dandong in China with Sinuiju in North Korea is complete, trade volume will more than double, relieving pressure on the aging Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge – the only other connection between the two cities – considered the main artery between the two countries.
Pyongyang and Beijing completed the structure of the New Yalu River Bridge in 2014, with the Chinese government footing the bill, but since then it has remained unopened because the two sides could not come to an agreement on financing construction on infrastructure facilities on North Korea’s end.
But construction resumed in January 2025 after Chinese firms agreed to invest, and if all goes according to plan, the new bridge could go into service as early as autumn, Bruce Songhak Chung, a senior researcher at the Seoul-based Korea Institute for Security Strategy, told RFA.
“Chinese traders involved in cross-border commerce said discussions on an opening ceremony could be held once construction on the North Korean side is completed,” Park Jongchol, a professor at Gyeongsang National University in South Korea said. “On the Chinese side, there were a few predicted dates being discussed — such as October 3, the date the two countries established diplomatic relations — though these have not been confirmed by either Beijing or Pyongyang.”
Even if that prediction ends up being incorrect, Chung said he expects the bridge to open this year based on his assessment of the imagery.
In a July 20 image, construction has advanced significantly in both the warehouse and logistic zone and the customs and security zone on the North Korean side of the bridge, Chung said.
These are located in a roughly 50-hectare (120-acre) area that was cleared and left undeveloped for more than a decade. Since the 2025 restart, dozens of administrative and security buildings, warehouses, and other facilities have been erected, with roofs installed and exterior structures largely completed, the imagery shows.
Closer ties, increased trade
As construction progressed, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited North Korea on June 8 and agreed with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to expand economic cooperation and make greater use of cross-border trade in areas including agriculture, technology, infrastructure, and people-to-people exchange.
Chinese experts suggested that following Xi’s visit, Beijing is expected to provide a large package of gifts to North Korea, with the bridge just a small part of it, Park said.
The bridge itself was to have been a symbol of economic cooperation between the two countries, but instead it became one of the better-known North Korean white elephants, built for a glorious national purpose, but serving no function. But that will change once it opens.
The new bridge will allow direct access for heavy cargo trucks, increase customs capacity, lower transportation costs and support development of Sinuiju, Joung Eunlee, the director of the Seoul-based Korea Institute for National Unification, told RFA.
“The bridge aligns with broader economic interests on both sides of the border,” she said. “China has sought to strengthen Dandong’s position as its principal trade gateway with North Korea, while Pyongyang is expected to increase imports of construction materials and industrial equipment for infrastructure and regional development projects.”
Final touches
In recent months, construction has continued at a breakneck pace, Chung observed.
“Along the northern access road to the bridge, satellite imagery also identified construction materials and temporary shelters for workers, the blue and orange objects visible along the roadside for more than one kilometer—supporting work on the customs complex and road paving,” Chung said.
However, paving inside…
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