Russia begins building road bridge to North Korea, PM says

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia and North Korea on Wednesday began construction of a road bridge between the two countries that will span the Tumen river, part of an effort to strengthen their strategic partnership, Russia's prime minister said.

The bridge is being built near the existing "Friendship Bridge", a rail bridge which was commissioned in 1959 after the Korean war.

At a ceremony dedicated to the start of the new bridge's construction, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said it was a significant event in Russian-North Korean relations, the TASS state news agency reported.

"The significance goes far beyond just an engineering task," Mishustin was quoted as saying. "It symbolises our common desire to strengthen friendly, good-neighbourly relations and increase inter-regional cooperation."

The new road bridge, which has been under discussion for years, will be 850 metres (2789 ft) and link up with the Russian highway system. Its construction was agreed during a visit by President Vladimir Putin to North Korea in 2024.

Russia's Kommersant newspaper said the bridge will be ready by the summer of 2026.

Mishustin said the bridge "will allow entrepreneurs to significantly increase transportation volumes and reduce transportation costs, ensure reliable and stable supplies of various products, which will contribute to the expansion of trade and economic cooperation," TASS reported.

About 600 North Korean troops have been killed fighting for Russia against Ukraine out of a total deployment of 15,000, South Korean lawmakers said on Wednesday, citing the country's intelligence agency.

(Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Andrew Osborn)