Kim Jong Un Makes Brief Visit to Dandong
Crhk · 4 SOURCESabout 3 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited Dandong on Saturday in what Chinese reports described as a brief one-day trip, his first visit to China in 13 months and his sixth overall visit to the country. He crossed into China via the newly opened New Yalu River Bridge, visited the Memorial Hall to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, and held talks with Politburo Standing Committee member and Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference chairman Wang Huning. Chinese state media said Wang conveyed Xi Jinping's greetings, while Kim asked Wang to pass on his regards to Xi and thanked China for its long-term support. The visit came months after Xi's June trip to Pyongyang and amid wider attention on regional diplomacy before next month's APEC leaders' meeting in Shenzhen.
Key Points
- Kim arrived in Dandong on Saturday morning by crossing the New Yalu River Bridge linking Dandong and Sinuiju, a crossing opened earlier this month after delays of more than a decade.
- Wang Huning received Kim at the memorial plaza, relayed Xi Jinping's greetings, and accompanied him in laying a wreath and observing silence for Chinese People's Volunteers soldiers
- Kim then toured the memorial hall, met Wang, visited a local automobile factory in the afternoon, and later departed Dandong with Wang seeing him off at the bridge.
- Chinese reports said the trip marked the 76th anniversary of the Chinese People's Volunteers entering the Korean War, while Kim said he came to honour those he called anti-US war heroes.
- South Korean media first reported the visit citing an unidentified government source, while Seoul's presidential office and unification ministry did not immediately confirm it.
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong readers tracking regional risk, the visit points to renewed China-North Korea engagement through border infrastructure and official exchanges, with possible implications for trade flows and diplomatic coordination in Northeast Asia. It also drew attention because it followed Xi's June visit to Pyongyang and came before the Shenzhen APEC meeting, where wider US-China-North Korea dynamics are likely to stay in focus.