Kim Jong-un crosses new bridge for one-day visit to China's Dandong

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made an unannounced one-day visit to the Chinese border city of Dandong on Saturday, crossing the New Yalu River Bridge, which opened only in mid-October. The South China Morning Post, The Hindu, The Guardian and Al Jazeera all reported the trip.

China's state news agency Xinhua said Kim was welcomed and accompanied by Wang Huning, the fourth-ranked official in China and a member of the Communist Party's standing committee. The Guardian reported that the two toured a car factory before Wang saw Kim off at the bridge. The Hindu gave a different account, citing South Korean lawmaker Youn Kun-young, who said Kim was "understood" to have met Chinese Premier Li Qiang.

According to Xinhua, Kim said his country "stands ready to work with China to carry forward their historical friendship and expand practical cooperation". The SCMP reported that Wang called for more people-to-people exchanges and trade, and for the two countries to "strengthen strategic communication and coordination".

Neither government announced the visit in advance. The Hindu said Yonhap first reported Kim's arrival, citing an unnamed South Korean government source, and that Youn had been briefed on the likely trip on Friday. Japan's Kyodo news agency reported traffic controls around the bridge and near a museum about China's role in the Korean War, along with limits on nearby hotel bookings, The Guardian said.

The 3km bridge was completed in 2014. Its opening was held up by a lack of connecting roads and customs facilities on the North Korean side, The Hindu reported, citing South Korean media. North Korea and Russia opened their first road bridge in early September.

The Guardian said this was Kim's sixth visit to China and his first since September 2025, when he attended a military parade in Beijing with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Xi visited Pyongyang in June. The paper said the timing appeared linked to the 25 October anniversary of China's first major victory in the Korean War.

Xi will host the Apec summit in Shenzhen on 18 and 19 November. The SCMP noted that Trump has said he wants to meet Kim again. Yang Moo-jin, a former president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, told AFP that Kim "may also have sought Beijing's active support and cooperation ahead of a possible summit with Trump". The Guardian cited a Reuters report on Friday that US and South Korean officials see little chance of such a meeting this year.

Relations between the two Koreas have worsened. Seoul proposed border talks on Friday after blaming North Korean landmines for a blast inside the Demilitarised Zone that injured South Korean soldiers. Pyongyang rejects the claim and has not responded, The Hindu reported. According to The Guardian, Kim's sister, Kim Yo Jong, has announced plans to resume loudspeaker broadcasts at the border within days.

Sources: South China Morning Post, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un pays unexpected visit to Chinese border city of Dandong; The Hindu, North Korea’s Kim makes unannounced visit to Chinese border city; The Guardian, Kim Jong-un crosses newly opened bridge into China; Al Jazeera, Kim Jong Un crosses new bridge linking North Korea and China.