North Korean state media said Kim Jong Un returned to North Korea by road on Sunday after visiting a Korean War memorial in the Chinese border city of Dandong, a trip that underscored closer ties between Pyongyang and Beijing ahead of a U.S. presidential visit to the region.
Visit emphasized historical bond and new trade link
The Korean Central News Agency, North Korea’s state news service, said Kim toured the memorial on Saturday and crossed a recently inaugurated bridge that connects the two countries. KCNA described the relationship between the neighbors as an “unbreakable” bond forged during the 1950-53 Korean War.
“The North Korean people would forever remember the glorious years of fighting alongside the Chinese people,” KCNA quoted Kim as saying.
KCNA also quoted Kim as expressing hope that the bridge would fulfill a “historic mission” of linking the two peoples and strengthening ties, language the agency used to highlight both symbolic and practical aspects of the visit.
- Mode of travel: Kim returned to North Korea by road on Sunday after the Dandong visit.
- Infrastructure: The leader crossed a newly opened bridge that officials said will link trade and transportation between China and North Korea.
- Diplomatic context: The trip comes as Beijing and Pyongyang seek to expand economic ties and as Pyongyang has deepened military links with Moscow.
The visit follows a string of high-level exchanges between the two capitals: Kim made an appearance in Beijing for a military parade in September 2025, and Chinese President Xi Jinping visited North Korea in June, according to KCNA reporting and regional diplomatic accounts.
Observers cited in reporting by Reuters said the trip is seen as part of an effort by China and North Korea to bolster economic cooperation ahead of a planned visit to the region next month by President Donald Trump. The North Korean state media coverage emphasized historical solidarity dating to the 1950-53 conflict, which ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty and leaves the two Koreas technically at war.
North Korea has also been strengthening military ties with Russia over the past two years, a development noted in regional analyses of Pyongyang’s foreign policy choices.
The trip and the inauguration of cross-border infrastructure were presented by North Korean media as reinforcing both the historical narrative of Sino-Korean friendship and practical steps to expand trade links between the countries.
