A new road bridge over the Tumen River between Russia and North Korea opened a week ago, in a ceremony featuring fireworks and trucks decorated with flowers. The crossing was presented as a milestone in relations between the two countries.
Despite this opening, South Korea remains the most important business partner between the two Korean states. The assessment comes from Artyom Lukin, a professor in the Russian city of Vladivostok, who spoke to Expresso about the real significance of this infrastructure.
Lukin warns that what truly matters happens about a kilometer away. In that location, two low bridges and a silted-up river render useless China's right to navigate to the Sea of Japan, creating practical obstacles that the new bridge does not resolve.
