After North Korea fully reopened its border with China starting last May, it recently resumed construction on the New Yalu River Bridge, located south of Dandong-Sinuiju, which had been neglected for 10 years. This move appears to be aimed, firstly, at maintaining smooth relations with China by resuming work on the bridge’s connecting road and customs facilities in Sinuiju city, as China has continuously requested. Secondly, it seems to be an effort to expand trade with China for economic recovery following the prolonged border closure due to the pandemic. Furthermore, in addition to fundamentally addressing the aging and capacity limitations of the existing Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge, it appears they resumed construction, likely driven by a bolstered confidence in their foreign relations stemming from the rapid development of North Korea-Russia ties. This enhanced confidence also seems to translate into a belief that they can now somewhat manage internal anxieties, such as the influx of external ideologies that would accompany increased North Korea-China trade.