Quick Take: Progress Continues at New Yalu River Bridge Crossing
Commercial satellite imagery indicates work to build a customs and immigration center on the North Korean side of the New Yalu River Bridge has progressed, with several new buildings erected over the past year and at least ten buildings still under construction.
As China and North Korea trade begins to pick back up, the concerted efforts to expand and complete the new customs and immigration area suggest the bridge may finally open—after more than a decade of lying dormant—facilitating greater cargo trade.
Recent Activity
Imagery from May 2026 shows several new buildings have been constructed over the past year, and several vehicles and personnel are moving about the area.
On the west side of the site, four warehouses are under construction, the smaller two measuring 50 meters x 100 meters and the larger measuring 50 meters x 320 meters. Roofing on one of the smaller warehouses was completed in October 2025, while trusses are in place on the other of the same size. The largest warehouses, presumably for holding cargo, appear to still be in the early stages of construction.
On the east side, nearly twenty new buildings and potential vehicle depots have been built-up in the last year. Blue tarped mounds are observed throughout the site, likely covering building materials.
South of the area, it appears a traffic control point is being built along the road.
Future of the Site
The site is expected to be a customs and immigration facility for passengers and freight crossing the New Yalu River Bridge. Land was initially cleared for the site in spring 2020, but building construction did not begin until February 2025. In March of 2025, construction huts appeared in the area. DailyNK reporting from September 2025 suggested that exterior construction on a seven-story building—that will serve as a border control and commercial complex—had been completed, with plans to complete the interior by early November 2025.
At typical North Korean border crossings, customs facilities serve as a place for the transfer of goods, with vehicles entering from China, dropping off or picking up goods at the appropriate checkpoint, and returning home. It appears that this facility will operate in a similar manner, preventing the flow of foreign vehicles further into the country.
On the Chinese side, no construction activity is apparent at the customs area, although the same DailyNK report notes preparations for full operation are underway.