SEOUL, 24 October, 2026 (Nosheen): North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrived in China on Saturday via the newly opened New Yalu River Bridge, which connects the two neighbouring countries, a South Korean government official said. Kim entered China through the border city of Dandong, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to comment publicly. Another South Korean official familiar with the matter said Chinese Premier Li Qiang met Kim in Dandong. The visit comes one day before the anniversary of China’s entry into the 1950–1953 Korean War. South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported that Kim was expected to return to North Korea after the visit, while a South Korean official told Reuters that a trip to Beijing before the Chinese Communist Party’s high-level meetings beginning Monday was unlikely. China’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The three-kilometre New Yalu River Bridge, the most significant land crossing between China and North Korea, opened this month after years of delays. The two countries aim to revive trade and commercial activity following strained relations and disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Lu Chao, an expert on China-North Korea relations at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences in Shenyang, said Kim’s visit reflected closer economic ties and increasingly frequent high-level exchanges between the two countries. He said the bridge had removed a major logistical obstacle to bilateral trade, which could now increase further.

The crossing is expected to facilitate the transport of heavy equipment, raw materials and energy products needed for North Korea’s development. Its opening marks another sign of 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 visited North Korea in June. Christopher Green, a Korea specialist at Leiden University in the Netherlands, said Kim’s decision to enter China through the new bridge demonstrated his support for bilateral trade, adding that the crossing had long symbolised difficulties in relations between the two countries. China, which fought alongside North Korea during the Korean War, remains Pyongyang’s principal economic and diplomatic supporter and accounts for most of its official trade. However, North Korea has strengthened ties with Russia since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, a development analysts say has reduced Pyongyang’s dependence on Beijing. US President Donald Trump has sought to restart talks with North Korea, but American and South Korean officials increasingly doubt that he will meet Kim this year, Reuters reported on Friday. China is scheduled to host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit next month in Shenzhen, which Trump is expected to attend.