(ATTN: UPDATES latest info; REWRITES throughout; RECASTS headline)
SEOUL, Oct. 24 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited China on Saturday via a newly opened bridge linking the two countries and met with Beijing's top political adviser.
Kim arrived in the Chinese border city of Dandong after crossing the Amnok River, also known as the Yalu River in China, via the New Amnok River Bridge, according to government sources.
Kim met with Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, China's Xinhua News Agency reported.
The two visited an automobile factory in Dandong and a Korean War memorial, where they paid tribute to Chinese troops killed in the conflict.
During talks with Wang, Kim expressed gratitude for China's long-standing support for North Korea's socialist cause and voiced hope for expanding the two countries' historic friendship and practical cooperation to bring tangible benefits to their peoples, according to Xinhua.
Kim returned home after the brief visit, with Wang seeing him off, Xinhua reported.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un speaks during the closing session of the third workshop for officials in the information sector of the Workers' Party of Korea in Pyongyang on Sept. 21, 2026, in this photo taken from the North's official Korean Central Television the next day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
Kim's China visit came a day before North Korea and China are set to celebrate the anniversary of Chinese troops' participation in the 1950-53 Korean War.
Pyongyang and Beijing have observed Oct. 25 as the anniversary of Chinese troops' participation in the Korean War to aid North Korea. The day marks Chinese soldiers' first combat against the U.N. forces.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (C) watches a ceremonial parade by soldiers in Pyongyang on July 27, 2026, to mark the 73rd anniversary of the 1950-53 Korean War armistice that fell the same day, in this file photo taken from the North's official Korean Central Television the next day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
His trip also followed the opening of the bridge last week, linking North Korea's border city of Sinuiju with China's Dandong, with potential to strengthen economic ties between Pyongyang and Beijing.
The four-lane bridge, stretching 3,026 meters, was completed in 2014 with an investment of about US$310 million from China. Its opening had been delayed for years due to North Korea's failure, if not refusal, to complete building connecting roads and customs facilities on its side.
Kim last visited China in September 2025. Saturday's visit marked his sixth to China.
Next month, China is set to host a summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Shenzhen, where U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to attend.
Trump has expressed hopes to hold talks with the North Korean leader, but Pyongyang has remained unresponsive.
North Korean and Chinese officials attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony on a new cross-border bridge across the Amnok River, also known as the Yalu River, between North Korea and China on Oct. 15, 2026, to mark the inauguration of the New Amnok River Bridge, in this photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) the next day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
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