Blue House on Kim Jong Un's Surprise Visit to China: "Closely Monitoring Developments, Keeping Various Possibilities in Mind"

Kim Jong Un Apparently Met Li Qiang in Dandong, China
Blue House: “No Official Announcement from Either North Korea or China”

The Blue House said on October 24 that it was “closely monitoring developments related to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s visit to China.”

A Blue House official said that day, “At this stage, with neither North Korea nor China having made an official announcement, we are keeping various possibilities in mind and closely monitoring related developments.”

Kim arrived in Dandong, Liaoning Province, China, on the morning of October 24. Authorities believe he traveled by train from Pyongyang to Sinuiju, then switched to his private car and crossed the New Yalu River Bridge.

Kim is reported to have met Chinese Premier Li Qiang in China that day. He is also believed likely to return to North Korea directly that day.

The visit was not on his schedule. It marked his first trip to China in one year and one month, since attending China’s Victory Day celebrations in September 2025, and came nine days after the New Yalu River Bridge officially opened.

Several possible purposes for the visit have been suggested. October 25 marks the anniversary of China’s entry into the Korean War, and analysts say Kim may have traveled to China a day before the 76th anniversary of its “Resist America, Aid Korea” campaign to highlight North Korean-Chinese friendship and strengthen ties.

Another point of interest is that the visit comes ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, which will be held in Shenzhen, China, next month. Kim also visited China before a North Korea-U.S. summit in 2018.

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