Russia’s Defense Minister Andrey Belousov arrived in North Korea to meet political and military leaders as the two nations deepen strategic ties.

Russia and North Korea have celebrated the completion of a major new road bridge linking the two nations, with the controversial crossing expected to open as early as June. The project – spanning the Tumen River on the remote Far Eastern border – marks the first-ever direct road connection between Russia and the secretive state often dubbed the “world’s most dangerous country”.