North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made a one-day visit to Dandong, China, on October 24, crossing the border by car over the recently opened New Yalu River Bridge. The trip, confirmed by South Korean authorities and later reported by North Korean state media, was Kimโs first visit to China in about 13 months and his sixth known trip there as leader.
Kim visited a memorial marking the Chinese Peopleโs Volunteersโ participation in the Korean War ahead of the 76th anniversary observed by Beijing on October 25. North Koreaโs ruling-party newspaper devoted its first three pages to the trip and quoted Kim as calling for the countriesโ friendship to be carried forward permanently, presenting the visit as a reaffirmation of their historical alliance.
- Visit date
- October 24, 2026
- Destination
- Dandong, Liaoning province
- Border route
- New Yalu River Bridge
- Senior Chinese host
- Political advisory chief Wang Huning
Wang Huning, the fourth-ranking member of Chinaโs Communist Party leadership and chairman of its top political advisory body, received Kim in Dandong. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and other senior officials also attended, according to the North Korean account. Kimโs delegation included Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui, senior party secretary Jo Yong Won, Kim Yo Jong and other leading officials.
The choice of transport distinguished the trip from Kimโs previous visits, which involved an armored train or aircraft. South Korean officials assessed that he traveled from Pyongyang to Sinuiju by train before using the road bridge into Dandong. Local sources reported heightened security, traffic restrictions and additional police deployments in the Chinese border city during the days before his arrival.
A symbolic visit without a Beijing summit
The itinerary remained concentrated in Dandong rather than extending to Beijing, and there was no confirmed meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Wang accompanied Kim to the bridge as he departed, according to reports. That limited format allowed both sides to display high-level political coordination without arranging a full summit or disclosing a detailed diplomatic agenda.
The bridge crossing also drew attention to the physical infrastructure available for future exchanges between the neighbors. Reports cited expectations that it could support greater movement of people and goods, but the available accounts do not establish any specific economic agreement reached during the visit. Further statements from Beijing or Pyongyang will determine whether the trip produced concrete commitments beyond its commemorative and political message.