North Korea-China bridge unused for over a decade is stirring
Pyongyang works on customs facilities for new trade corridor
KOHEI FUJIMURA August 11, 2026 04:56 JST
DANDONG, China -- A bridge between North Korea and China that has sat idle for more than 10 years is showing renewed signs of preparation for an opening that would mark another step toward warmer ties between the two countries.
The New Yalu River Bridge, a 3-kilometer-long suspension bridge that connects North Korea and the Chinese border city of Dandong, remains unopened despite having been completed in 2014.
But from the Chinese side, construction can be seen on the opposite bank.
A large-scale project started around the spring of 2025. A high-rise building was just bare concrete in October, but windowpanes were installed and painting had progressed as of late July of this year. New structures resembling bridge piers are also being built next to the bridge.
An analysis by website 38 North of satellite imagery indicates that warehouses and a customs and immigration center are under construction nearby.
No official explanation has been given for why the New Yalu River Bridge has yet to open, but observers have pointed to changes in leadership as well as a lack of facilities to accommodate incoming traffic on the North Korean side.
Relations between Beijing and Pyongyang had been tenuous for some time. Movement of people and goods across the border dropped off starting in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the pandemic subsided, North Korea has moved closer to Russia through military cooperation.
The North's ties with Beijing began showing signs of improvement in September 2025 with leader Kim Jong Un's visit to China, where he met with President Xi Jinping for the first time in six years and the two attended a military parade.
Xi made his first visit to North Korea in seven years this past June, meeting with Kim in Pyongyang. Expanding practical cooperation would bring greater benefits to the people of both countries, a summit readout quoted the Chinese leader as saying.
The largest route for bilateral trade is the Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge, about 10 km upriver from the New Yalu River Bridge. The Friendship Bridge, built by Japan during World War II, is aging. It has just one lane for autos and one rail track, allowing travel in only one direction at a time.
Opening the new bridge, which has two auto lanes in each direction, could give cross-border commerce a shot in the arm.
Trade is already rising. Bilateral goods trade from January to June reached a nine-year high of $1.51 billion, Chinese customs data shows -- up about 20% from a year earlier. North Korea has recently increased exports of tungsten ore.
Many in Dandong make their living from trade with North Korea, and city authorities are keen on opening the New Yalu River Bridge, expecting it to boost the local economy.
A policy statement by the mayor early this year included "doing everything possible to progress toward opening customs facilities at the New Yalu River Bridge" as a priority. But a building near the customs center on the Chinese side still has many missing windows.
"Practically every year, there have been rumors saying it'll open this year for sure, but it's never actually opened," a local trade insider said.
