North Korea’s Kim makes brief visit to Chinese border city

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made an unannounced, day-long visit to the Chinese border city of Dandong on Saturday, crossing the recently opened New Yalu River Bridge before returning home, according to Chinese state media and South Korean reports.

China’s Xinhua news agency said Wang Huning, China’s top political adviser, accompanied Kim during the visit and saw him off at the bridge. Wang conveyed greetings from President Xi Jinping and called for stronger strategic coordination, personnel exchanges, and economic and trade cooperation between the two countries. Xinhua also reported that Kim attended a memorial ceremony for fallen soldiers and visited an automobile factory.

South Korean lawmaker Youn Kun-young said Kim was understood to have met Chinese Premier Li Qiang, although Xinhua’s account did not mention such a meeting. There was also no reported meeting between Kim and Xi.

The visit came near the anniversary observed by Beijing and Pyongyang of Chinese troops entering the 1950-1953 Korean War. It was Kim’s first trip to China since September 2025.

The four-lane bridge connecting Dandong with North Korea’s Sinuiju was completed in 2014 but remained unused for about 12 years because connecting roads and customs facilities on the North Korean side were unfinished. It officially opened shortly before Kim’s trip, with both governments pledging to use it to expand bilateral trade and exchanges.