South Korean media say Kim Jong Un arrived in China on Saturday. The report cites a government source.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has arrived in the Chinese border city of Dandong, South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported Saturday, citing a South Korean government source. Yonhap said he crossed the New Yalu River Bridge earlier in the day.
The visit comes about a week after the four-lane bridge, which links Dandong with the North Korean city of Sinuiju, was officially opened. Construction began in 2011 and was completed in 2014, but the bridge remained unused for 12 years. South Korean news reports said the delay was due to a lack of connecting roads and customs facilities on the North Korean side. The opening ceremony took place Thursday of last week, according to Chinese state media reports cited by the Korea Times.
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 made a state visit to North Korea in June, the first in seven years, in a sign of improving ties. China is North Korea’s largest trading partner and a vital source of diplomatic, economic and political support, although relations have not always been smooth.
The report did not say what Kim would do in China, and neither government had announced the visit in the reports reviewed. It follows the release of state media photographs this week showing Kim at a meeting of Korean People’s Army company leaders in Pyongyang. It comes as South Korea has invited the North to military talks over their border and North Korea has said it will resume propaganda broadcasts, Al Jazeera reported.
nformation for this report was provided by Al Jazeera, citing AFP, Reuters and Yonhap, and by the Korea Times.