"I'm Fine": Kim Jong Un Makes Surprise Visit to China via New Yalu River Bridge... Will He Meet Xi Jinping?

One year and one month after attending China's Victory Day events
Government official: "Appears to have arrived in Dandong"
Visit to China ahead of APEC... may return home the same day

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is believed to have traveled to China on the 24th via the New Yalu River Bridge. The visit has drawn attention because it dispels recent rumors of his death that spread overseas and comes ahead of next month's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, raising the possibility of U.S.-North Korea talks.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, who visited North Korea on a state visit at the invitation of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, departed Pyongyang aboard a private plane on the afternoon of June 9 after completing their two-day, one-night itinerary, the Korean Central News Agency reported on the 10th. Yonhap News Agency

A government source said on the 24th, "It appears that Chairman Kim arrived in Dandong, China, via the New Yalu River Bridge." Also on the same day, Yoon Geon-young, a lawmaker from the Democratic Party of Korea, said, "I was briefed that a same-day visit was highly likely."

This is Kim's first visit to China in one year and one month, since he attended China's Victory Day commemorations in September last year. He crossed the bridge just nine days after it officially opened. The visit took place one day before the 25th, the anniversary of China's entry into the Korean War.

Attention is focused on whether Kim will also meet Chinese President Xi Jinping. Following Xi's visit to North Korea and the opening of the bridge in June this year, Kim's visit to China appears to continue the trend of strengthening ties between North Korea and China. The New Yalu River Bridge, which is believed to be Kim's route, officially opened on the 15th. The bridge, which connects Sinuiju in North Korea with Dandong in China, was completed in 2014, but its opening was delayed due to incomplete connecting roads and customs facilities on the North Korean side.

Park Won-gon, a professor in the Department of North Korean Studies at Ewha Womans University, said, "This is a symbolic demonstration that relations between North Korea and China are being normalized to that extent and will be strengthened further." He added, "If Kim meets Xi, it would be a step toward fully restoring relations between North Korea and China."

The visit has also drawn attention because it took place ahead of the anniversary of China's entry into the Korean War, but was not timed to coincide with a round-number anniversary marking a five- or 10-year interval. Professor Park said, "If Kim's visit to China was a reciprocal visit following Xi's trip to North Korea last June, there is a possibility that he will meet Xi."

The visit also effectively dispels rumors of Kim's death that recently spread, particularly on social media overseas. The National Intelligence Service had also reported to the National Assembly's Intelligence Committee the previous day that the rumors were false.

The timing, ahead of next month's APEC summit in Shenzhen, China, has also drawn attention. U.S. President Donald Trump has mentioned the possibility of meeting Kim before the end of the year, so talks related to U.S.-North Korea dialogue could take place during this visit.

Kim visited China twice in the run-up to the first North Korea-U.S. summit. He held talks with Xi in Beijing from March 25 to 28, 2018, and met him again in Dalian on May 7 and 8 of the same year. He then held his first summit with President Trump in Singapore on June 12. This set a precedent of communicating with China first during a period of North Korea-U.S. negotiations.

However, it is difficult to conclude from this visit alone that preparations for a North Korea-U.S. summit have advanced. Professor Park said, "(With APEC being held) November may be difficult," adding, "We should keep an open mind about the location and timing." Analysts say it would be difficult for Kim, who has now visited China, to return there again in just a month. On the 19th, President Trump also responded, "I don't know," when asked about the possibility of meeting Kim next month.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.