N. Korea-Russia restoring Tumen bridge

Work has begun to repair the Friendship railway bridge linking Russia with North Korea across the Tumen River, along which the border between the two countries runs, said a Russian daily last week. The bridge, which is about one kilometer long and was built at the end of the 1950s between North Korea`s Tumangang Station and Hassan Station in Russia, had been in disrepair until recently because the transport of cargo on the line sharply declined as a result of the troubled North Korean economy. The newspaper reported that the work would boost the possibility of linking the Trans-Siberian Railway with the railways of the Korean peninsula.

Deputy Governor of Russia`s Maritime Territory Igor Belchuk Primori said the rail line could be restored in about six months after partial repair between the two points.

Kim Ki-Hyun kimkihy@donga.com