(LEAD) N.K. leader vows to advance ties with China during surprise Dandong visit

SEOUL, Oct. 25 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has visited China and...

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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (C) waves to people cheering from the New Amnok River Bridge on Oct. 24, 2026, in this photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency the next day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

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SEOUL, Oct. 25 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has visited China and vowed to promote the two countries' longstanding relationship forged in blood, state media reported Sunday.

The report confirmed earlier accounts from South Korean government sources, who said Saturday that Kim visited the Chinese border city of Dandong, where he met with Wang Huning, China's fourth-highest-ranking official and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

According to the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim visited Dandong on Saturday, accompanied by senior party and government officials, including Jo Yong-won, a member of the ruling Workers' Party's Presidium; Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui; and Kim Yo-jong, his sister and a party department director.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and other senior Chinese officials were also present.

Saturday's visit marked Kim's first known trip to China since September 2025, when he traveled to Beijing to attend events marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and held talks with Chinese President Xi Jingping. It was his sixth visit to China since he took power in 2011.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (C) waves to people cheering from the New Amnok River Bridge on Oct. 24, 2026, in this photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency the next day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

Kim paid tribute at a war memorial to Chinese soldiers who fought in the 1950-53 Korean War, as China marked the 76th anniversary of its entry into the Korean War on Sunday.

"We will always remember the history when the excellent sons and daughters of the Chinese people helped our revolution at the cost of their blood and steadily and firmly carry forward the history of the DPRK-China friendship," Kim was quoted as saying by the KCNA.

Kim also attended a banquet hosted by Wang at Xi's direction and visited a bus factory in Dandong.

Wang Huning, also a member of the Political Bureau Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China, conveyed Xi's greetings to Kim and said the visit was significant for preserving and developing the countries' "traditional friendship and militant fraternity," KCNA reported.

Wrapping up his one-day visit, Kim returned to North Korea via the newly opened New Amnok River Bridge, also known as the New Yalu River Bridge. The report did not specify whether he had used the bridge to enter China.

While viewing the surrounding area from the midpoint of the bridge, Kim expressed hope that it would "undoubtedly and correctly fulfill its historic mission of linking the two countries and firmly joining the minds of the peoples of the two countries."

The bridge, which links North Korea's border city of Sinuiju with China's Dandong, opened earlier this month, more than a decade after construction was completed in 2014.

The latest trip comes as Pyongyang seeks to reinforce ties with Beijing after years of prioritizing cooperation with Russia, including military cooperation amid Moscow's war against Ukraine.

China remains North Korea's most important economic partner and a key diplomatic ally. The two countries have stepped up high-level exchanges, including Xi's visit to Pyongyang in June 2026, when the two leaders pledged to expand cooperation in political, economic and other fields.

Kim's visit also comes ahead of a planned Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in China next month, which U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to attend. Trump has expressed interest in resuming dialogue with Kim, though prospects for a meeting remain uncertain.

It remains unclear whether Kim's latest trip included any discussions on regional security or the possibility of renewed diplomacy with Washington.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (R) and Wang Huning, China's top political adviser, greet each other in Dandong, China, on Oct. 24, 2026. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (L) visits the Chinese city of Dandong on Oct. 24, 2026, ahead of the anniversary of China's entry into the 1950-53 Korean War, reaffirming the two countries' blood-forged ties and vowing to advance their friendship, in this photo released by the North's official Korean Central News Agency the following day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

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(LEAD) N.K. leader vows to advance ties with China during surprise Dandong visit

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首尔，10月25日（韩联社）——据朝鲜官方媒体周日报道，朝鲜领导人金正恩访问了中国，并誓言要促进两国用鲜血铸就的长期关系。

该报道证实了韩国政府消息人士此前的说法，他们周六表示，金正恩访问了中国边境城市丹东，并在那里会见了中国第四号人物、全国政协主席王沪宁。

据朝鲜中央通讯社（朝中社）报道，金正恩周六访问了丹东，陪同他的有高级党政官员，包括执政党劳动党常任委员会成员赵容元、外交部长崔善姬以及他的妹妹、党政部部长金与正。

中国外交部长王毅及其他中国高级官员也出席了会议。

周六的访问是金正恩自2025年9月以来首次已知访华行程。当时他访问北京，出席纪念二战胜利80周年的活动，并与中国国家主席习近平举行了会谈。这是他自2011年掌权以来第六次访华。

2026年10月24日，朝鲜领导人金正恩（中）在新鸭绿江大桥上向欢呼的人群挥手致意。这张照片由朝鲜官方通讯社朝中社于次日发布。（仅限韩国境内使用，禁止转载）（韩联社）

周日，中国纪念朝鲜战争76周年之际，金正恩前往一座纪念在1950-53年朝鲜战争中战斗的中国士兵的纪念碑致敬。

据朝中社报道，金正恩表示：“我们将永远铭记中国人民的优秀儿女用鲜血帮助我们革命的历史，并将坚定不移地把朝中友谊的历史继续发扬光大。”