＜N.Korea Photo Report＞ The New Yalu River Bridge Today: Still Unopened After 10 Years Since Completion - Does it Reflect Cooling Relations with China? (7 Photos)

In mid-October, ASIAPRESS visited the New Yalu River Bridge and the Hwanggumpyong Development Zone. Both are located on the lower reaches of the Yalu River, which forms the border between North Korea and China. Ten years after its completion, the bridge is still not open. The development zone is abandoned and desolate. (HONG Mari)

◆ Barbed wire and a "North Korea" sign in the middle of the bridge

Sinuiju in North Pyongan Province (North Korea) and Dandong (China) are trading cities. They have the largest volume of trade between North Korea and China. The Yalu River Bridge was built in 1943 during the Japanese colonial period. The construction of a new bridge was agreed upon in late 2010 due to the bridge's age and the need to accommodate increased logistics between North Korea and China.

ASIAPRESS confirmed that construction was progressing smoothly during visits to the site in 2011 and 2012. At the time, the mayor of Dandong, Zhao Liansheng, told Chinese media: "China has borne the total construction cost of 1.7 billion yuan (about 204 million US dollars or 282 billion Korean won at the time).

The New Yalu River Bridge is 3,000 meters long. It was completed in 2014. However, it has remained unused and unopened to the present day. There have been several media reports that it might be opened this year, as this year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between North Korea and China. However, there were no signs of this at the site.

On the day ASIAPRESS visited the area, a single vehicle was seen driving up to the middle of the bridge, where barbed wire blocks passage, and several people were observed looking toward the North Korean side.

◆ Heavily promoted project remains untouched

The Hwanggumpyong Development Zone is located about 10 minutes downstream from the New Yalu River Bridge on the North Korean side. Hwanggumpyong was originally a North Korean sandbar in the Yalu River that has been connected to China through the accumulation of sediment. In June 2011, a groundbreaking ceremony for a special economic zone was held. Over 1,000 people attended, including Jang Song-thaek, vice chairman of the National Defense Commission and Kim Jong-il's brother-in-law. It was heavily promoted as a model case of economic cooperation between North Korea and China.

However, there has been no information or evidence of a resumption of development since that time. As of October 2024, it remains untouched and abandoned.