SEOUL, April 23 (Reuters) – North Korea and Russia ⁠aim ⁠to open a road bridge ⁠connecting the countries across the Tumen River as soon as possible, North ​Korean state media KCNA said on Thursday, as the neighbouring countries forge closer ties.

The project, which began ‌about a year ago, is “an important ‌business” to boost bilateral cooperation including tourism, trade and the movement of people, KCNA said.

Construction ⁠of the ⁠850-metre (2,789-ft) bridge, which will connect to Russia’s highway system, was agreed during ​a 2024 visit to North Korea by President Vladimir Putin.

Russia and North Korea held a ceremony on Tuesday to mark the joining of the bridge, the Moscow Times reported.

It is being built near the existing “Friendship Bridge”, ​a rail bridge which was commissioned in 1959 after the Korean War.

KCNA said an opening ⁠ceremony ⁠would be held soon, without ⁠specifying a date. ​The Russian embassy in Pyongyang wrote on Telegram that the bridge would be completed on ​June 19.

Oleg Kozhemyako, governor of ⁠the Primorsky region in Russia’s Far East, wrote on Telegram that the bridge would increase trade and expand cultural and tourism ties. He said it would cut the distance between Vladivostok and the border city of Rason to 320 kilometres and the crossing would have the capacity to accommodate ⁠up to 300 cars per day.

The update came as several Russian delegations visited North ⁠Korea this week.

Russian Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev met Jo Yong Won, chairman of the Standing Committee of North Korea’s Supreme People’s Assembly, on Wednesday in what KCNA described as a “favorable atmosphere.”

On Tuesday, Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko visited the North Korean city of Wonsan to attend a ceremony celebrating the construction of a hospital symbolising the “friendship” between the countries, KCNA said.

Russia and North Korea in 2024 signed a “comprehensive strategic partnership treaty” during Putin’s visit to Pyongyang.

The pact includes a mutual defence provision, and North Korea has ⁠sent thousands of soldiers to fight alongside Russian forces in western Russia’s Kursk region after a large Ukrainian incursion.

China has also been seeking to strengthen cross-border infrastructure and rebuild ties with North Korea and last month saw the first passenger train service between ​the countries resume after a six-year gap.

(Reporting by Heejin Kim and additional ​reporting by Ronald Popeski Editing by Ed Davies)

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