Kim Crosses New Bridge Into China on First Visit in a Year

A newly opened bridge carried North Korean leader Kim Jong Un into China on Saturday, more than a year after his last known visit. South Korean officials said Kim arrived in Dandong, the Chinese city next to the border, and met Premier Li Qiang. The trip was not announced, and came after days of online rumors about Kim’s health, which South Korea’s intelligence agency had dismissed. ^1,4

The bridge, which links Dandong with North Korea’s Sinuiju, opened this month after years of delays. China completed the four-lane crossing in 2014, but it could not open until North Korea finished roads and customs buildings on its side. It is meant to ease pressure on the older Friendship Bridge and carry more trucks and heavy cargo. South Korean officials said Kim was expected to return home on Saturday, and a visit to Beijing seemed unlikely before Chinese Communist Party meetings begin Monday. ^1,4

The added capacity for trade matters because China is North Korea’s biggest trading partner and a major source of economic and political support. The bridge could make it easier to move equipment, basic materials and energy products into North Korea, while Kim’s visit signals closer ties between the neighbors. But Pyongyang has also built closer ties with Russia, including by sending troops and weapons to support Moscow’s war in Ukraine. The timing also points to a shared history: China’s entry into the Korean War is marked on October 25. ^3,7

October 25 is the next immediate marker, though officials have not confirmed whether Kim will attend a ceremony. His visit comes before a possible November meeting between Kim and US President Donald Trump at the APEC summit in Shenzhen, but no such meeting has been announced. For now, the confirmed meeting with Li and the bridge crossing are the clearest signs of what the trip delivered. ^4,6,14