North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrived in China's border city of Dandong via a newly opened bridge linking the two countries, according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency. The announcement came about a week after the major new bridge was officially opened, 12 years after its completion. The bridge's opening deepens economic ties between China and diplomatically isolated, nuclear-armed North Korea.
China is North Korea's largest trading partner and a vital source of diplomatic, economic, and political support for Pyongyang. However, ties between the two countries have not always been smooth. The four-lane bridge was completed in 2014 but its opening was delayed due to a lack of connecting roads and customs facilities on the North Korean side.
Kim's arrival in Dandong was reported by Yonhap, citing an unidentified government source. AFP has contacted China's foreign ministry for confirmation. The bridge's opening came a little more than a month after North Korea and Russia opened their first road bridge, with Pyongyang lauding it as a sign of closer ties.
Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Pyongyang has become a key Kremlin ally, sending troops to support Moscow's war effort in return for economic benefits and military technology. This development has significant implications for regional dynamics, particularly in light of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Hours prior to Yonhap's report on Kim's arrival in China, North Korea's state media said their leader urged his military to train to become the strongest in the world at a two-day meeting of company commanders in Pyongyang. Kim's call for a "Korean-style military revolution" came the same week Seoul's military proposed talks to clarify the border after an explosion inside the heavily fortified Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) further strained inter-Korean ties.
Seoul and Pyongyang remain technically at war as the 1950-53 Korean War ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty. South Korea proposed on Friday military talks with North Korea to clarify their border and restore communication channels, after Seoul blamed the DMZ blast, which injured South Korean soldiers, on North Korean landmines. Pyongyang strongly rejects the claim.
Despite long-running UN sanctions, North Korea has enshrined its status as a nuclear-armed state in law, with its regime repeatedly declaring its atomic arsenal permanent and irreversible. Analysts say China has also appeared to move towards implicit acceptance of North Korea's nuclear status, with Kim hosting Chinese President Xi Jinping in Pyongyang in June.
Key points
- North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrived in China's border city of Dandong via a newly opened bridge linking the two countries.
- The bridge's opening deepens economic ties between China and diplomatically isolated, nuclear-armed North Korea.
- Kim's visit comes as Xi and other top Chinese officials prepare to meet in Beijing on Monday for an important political gathering.
