Yakov Novichenko bridge and Tumen River

About Yakov Novichenko Bridge

• Location: The Yakov Novichenko Bridge is built over the Tumen River between Russia and North Korea.
• It was built near the existing Friendship Bridge, a rail bridge commissioned in 1959.
• Naming: The bridge is named after Yakov Novichenko, a Red Army soldier whom Pyongyang credits with protecting Kim Il Sung in 1946.
• Size and Design: It is a 1-km-long, two-lane road bridge designed to allow up to 300 vehicles to cross every day.
• Connectivity: It provides the first proper road link between Russia and North Korea.
  • It will also connect with Russia’s federal road network and the transport corridor between Vladivostok and St Petersburg.

About Tumen River

• The Tumen River originates from Mount Paektu, along the China–North Korea border.
• It forms part of the boundary between China and North Korea in the upper reaches and between North Korea and Russia in the lower reaches.
• Other names: It is also known as the Tuman River or Duman River.
  • Its Russian name, Tumannaya, means “foggy”.
• Tributaries: The Gaya River and Hunchun River are tributaries of the Tumen River.
• Merges into: It enters the Sea of Japan (East Sea).
• Key Features:
  • Size: It is 521 km long and is the third-longest river in Korea.
  • Navigability: The river is navigable for only 85 km, limiting its navigational use.
  • River Economic Development Area: In 1995, China, Mongolia, Russia, North Korea and South Korea signed three agreements to create the Tumen River Economic Development Area.