North Korea’s Kim Jong Un enters China via Dandong bridge, South Korean official says

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrived in the Chinese border city of Dandong on Saturday, entering the country via the newly opened New Yalu River Bridge, according to a report by Reuters.

​A South Korean government official confirmed the trip on condition of anonymity, noting that Kim crossed the 3-kilometer (2-mile) land border crossing that officially opened earlier this month. The landmark bridge was completed after years of delay to resolve logistics bottlenecks and facilitate the transport of heavy equipment, raw materials, and energy products between the two neighboring nations.

​Lu Chao, an expert in China-North Korea relations at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, told Reuters that the opening of the bridge resolves a major logistics constraint, signaling further growth in bilateral trade. The trip highlights warming diplomatic relations following two bilateral summits between Kim and Chinese President Xi Jinping over the past 13 months.

​While China remains Pyongyang’s primary economic backer, experts note that North Korea has also drawn closer to Russia since 2022. Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed interest in resuming talks with Kim ahead of next month’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen, though officials express fading chances for an immediate meeting.