North Korea, Russia upgrade transportation links, promote high-level exchanges as strategic partnership deepens

Home > National > North Korea

North Korea, Russia upgrade transportation links, promote high-level exchanges as strategic partnership deepens

Published: 29 May. 2025, 14:13

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

North Korean officials and attendees clap during a ceremony marking the opening of Tumen River Station in Seonbong District of Rason, North Korea, on May 28. [NEWS1]

North Korea is deepening its all-around cooperation with Russia by upgrading transportation infrastructure linking the two countries and continuing high-level exchanges.

As a multipolar world order emerges amid the waning of U.S. power, analysts expect the Pyongyang-Moscow strategic partnership to persist for the foreseeable future.

The Rodong Sinmun reported on Thursday that North Korea had completed renovations of Tumen River Station, located just across the country's border with Russia, with a dedication ceremony held on Wednesday.

“The Tumen River Station was rebuilt to serve its role as a border gateway, providing a high level of convenience for passengers and contributing to the modernization of the rail system,” Rodong Sinmum said.

Located in Rason, a special economic zone bordering Russia, the station connects directly to Russia’s Khasan Station in Primorsky Krai via a railway bridge over the Tumen River.

The White House previously identified this area, using satellite images in early 2023, as a site of suspected arms transactions between North Korea and Russia.

Experts believe North Korea’s railroad upgrades are aimed at boosting passenger and freight transport with Russia. Improved ground transport links would not only enhance military and economic exchanges but could also benefit North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s priority project of revitalizing tourism.

This photo, released by the state-run Rodong Sinmun, shows a railway station that links North Korea to Russia across the Tumen River on May 28. [NEWS1]

On April 30, North Korea and Russia held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new cross-border vehicle bridge.

High-level exchanges between Pyongyang and Moscow continue as well.

On Wednesday, Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu met with North Korean State Security Minister Ri Chang-dae in Moscow during the 13th International Meeting of High Representatives for Security Issues.

Shoigu announced that senior Russian officials close to Russian President Vladimir Putin — State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin and Security Council Deputy Chair Dmitry Medvedev — would visit North Korea later this year, according to Russian state news agency TASS.

Their visits are expected to coincide with major anniversaries in North Korea: the 80th anniversary of Korea’s liberation in August and the 80th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea in October, likely to showcase the growing closeness between the two nations.

Shoigu also thanked North Korea for its historic military role in retaking Russia's Kursk region from Ukrainian forces.

Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu, right, and North Korean Minister of State Security Ri Chang-dae shake hands during a bilateral discussion as part of the 13th International Meeting of High Representatives for Security Issues in Moscow on May 28. [AP/YONHAP]

“I want to express special gratitude for the heroic achievements of the North Korean army, which stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Russian troops to defend our motherland,” Shoigu said.

“Russia values North Korea's strategic significance, especially as it seeks to solidify its own sphere of influence in the face of global isolation,” said Oh Kyung-seob, a researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification. “It seems likely that they will continue to maintain close relations on all fronts for the time being, based on military cooperation resulting from the war in Ukraine.”

Meanwhile, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that North Korea’s Ministry of Social Security — equivalent to South Korea’s National Police Agency — held talks with Russia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs on Wednesday in Pyongyang. The meeting was attended by Vice Minister Ri Song-chol and visiting Russian Deputy Minister Vitaly Shulika.

The two sides discussed expanding and developing exchanges and cooperation between their respective security agencies, according to the KCNA.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY CHUNG YEONG-GYO [[email protected]]