Kim Jong Un crosses into China via new bridge, Seoul officials say
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un crossed into the Chinese border city of Dandong on Saturday over the long-delayed New Yalu River Bridge and was greeted by Premier Li Qiang, South Korean media reported citing unnamed officials; neither Beijing nor Pyongyang had confirmed it.
AI-assisted · US Brief desk · Sources listed below
What happened
Kim Jong Un traveled into Dandong, China, on Saturday across the New Yalu River Bridge and was greeted by Chinese Premier Li Qiang, South Korean media reported, citing South Korean officials who spoke anonymously. Yonhap reported he was expected to return home the same day.
Why it matters
A border-city meeting with China's No. 2 official would signal warming ties between Pyongyang and its main economic partner, at a time when North Korea has also drawn closer to Russia.
More context
The bridge: The four-lane, roughly 3-kilometer bridge was finished in 2014 but sat unused for years before opening on Oct. 15, AP has reported. Kim's crossing would be its most high-profile use so far.
The timing: The trip comes a day before Oct. 25, the anniversary of China's entry into the Korean War in 1950, and ahead of Chinese Communist Party meetings starting Monday, which made a Beijing leg unlikely, Al Jazeera reported. Kim last visited China in September 2025.
What's still unknown: China's foreign ministry declined to comment, and North Korean state media had not reported the trip. What the two sides discussed, and whether any trade or bridge-traffic deals were reached, has not been disclosed.
5 listed sources
References listed by US Brief; a source count is not a verification score.
Editorial sourcing notes
Sourcing: Al Jazeera, Reuters (via Dunya News) and Korea JoongAng Daily, all citing unnamed South Korean officials; AP and the BBC on the bridge's history. China's foreign ministry had no comment and North Korea had not confirmed the trip when this was written. Hero photo shows the bridge's construction entrance in 2012, not this visit.
Like US Brief? You can support it with a tip.