North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrived in China on Saturday, October 24, crossing into the neighbouring country through the newly opened New Yalu River Bridge, according to South Korean officials.
Kim entered the Chinese border city of Dandong through the 3-kilometre bridge linking the two countries, a South Korean government official said on condition of anonymity.
Another South Korean official familiar with the matter said Chinese Premier Li Qiang met Kim in Dandong. The officials spoke anonymously because they were not authorised to comment publicly.
Kim’s visit comes a day before the anniversary of China’s entry into the 1950–1953 Korean War. South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported that the North Korean leader was expected to return home after Saturday’s visit.
A South Korean official also said it was unlikely Kim would travel to Beijing ahead of high-level meetings of China’s Communist Party scheduled to begin on Monday. China’s Foreign Ministry had not immediately responded to a request for comment.
The New Yalu River Bridge, the most significant land crossing between China and North Korea, opened this month after years of delays. The 3-kilometre structure is expected to strengthen trade and commercial activities between the neighbouring countries following years of strained relations and disruptions linked to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lu Chao, an expert on China-North Korea relations at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, said Kim’s visit reflected closer economic ties and more frequent high-level exchanges between the two countries.
“The opening of the bridge has resolved a major bottleneck in China-North Korea trade logistics,” Lu said. “With the logistics constraint eased, bilateral trade is likely to increase further.”
The bridge is expected to facilitate the transportation of heavy equipment, raw materials and energy products needed for North Korea’s development.
Kim’s decision to cross the bridge also signals improving relations between Beijing and Pyongyang, following two summits between their leaders over the past 13 months.
Kim’s last known visit to China was in September 2025, when he attended the 80th Victory Day celebrations in Beijing and held a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Xi subsequently made a state visit to North Korea in June.
Christopher Green, a Korea specialist at Leiden University in the Netherlands, said Kim’s use of the bridge demonstrated support for bilateral trade.
“Kim has given his imprimatur to bilateral trade by crossing the New Yalu River Bridge to enter China,” Green said. “That bridge was for more than a decade a symbol of how dysfunctional bilateral relations could become.”
China remains North Korea’s main economic and diplomatic supporter and accounts for most of Pyongyang’s official trade. However, North Korea has strengthened its relationship with Russia since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, a development analysts say has reduced Pyongyang’s reliance on Beijing.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has been seeking to revive talks with North Korea. However, American and South Korean officials believe the chances of a meeting between Trump and Kim before the end of the year are diminishing, according to a report published on Friday.
China is also scheduled to host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit next month in Shenzhen, which Trump is expected to attend.
