North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has traveled to China for the first time in about a year, crossing the recently opened New Yalu River Bridge.
Kim arrived in Dandong, in China's Liaoning province, via the New Yalu River Bridge on the 24th, according to Yonhap News Agency. Kyodo News reported the same day, citing diplomatic sources, that heavy traffic controls had been imposed in parts of Dandong, suggesting a visit by a senior North Korean official was expected.
It is Kim's first trip to China in roughly a year. He traveled to Beijing in September last year for a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The latest visit came abruptly ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Shenzhen, as U.S. President Donald Trump pushes to resume talks between Washington and Pyongyang this year. The trip also serves to dismiss rumors of Kim's death that had circulated online in recent weeks.
The New Yalu River Bridge is a four-lane crossing linking Dandong, the largest trade hub between the two countries, with Sinuiju in North Korea's North Pyongan province. Construction was completed in 2014, but the opening was delayed over issues including unfinished connecting roads and customs facilities on the North Korean side. It officially opened on the 15th of this month.