North Korea is opening its border — without freeing a single person

By Park Joonhye

Published October 6, 2026 10:00am ET

For 12 years, the bridge was there. But the road was not.

In 2014, China and North Korea completed the approximately 2-mile New Amnok River Bridge connecting the two countries. China prepared the necessary facilities on its side, but North Korea failed to complete basic customs and immigration facilities. The enormous bridge crossed the Amnok River, only to effectively end in an empty field on the North Korean side.