North Korean leader returns from China after brief visit without meeting Xi

SEOUL, October 25 (AJP) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-un returned home after briefly visiting a Korean War memorial in Dandong, China, state media reported on Sunday.

Kim toured the memorial in the border city the previous day to mark the 76th anniversary of Chinese troops' entry into the 1950-53 Korean War, reaffirming Pyongyang's longstanding ties with its traditional ally, according to the [North] Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Accompanied by his sister Yo-jong and other senior North Korean officials including Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui, Kim crossed a newly opened bridge linking China's northeastern city of Dandong with North Korea's border city of Sinuiju and returned to Pyongyang via the same bridge after his surprise one-day trip, which included a meeting with Wang Huning, one of China's highest-ranking officials.

It was his first time crossing the bridge, which finally opened on Oct. 15, about 12 years after its completion in October 2014.

Wang welcomed Kim alongside Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and other senior Chinese officials, while Kim paid tribute at the memorial honoring Chinese soldiers who fought in the Korean War.

Kim was quoted by KCNA as saying that the North Korean people would "forever remember the glorious years of fighting" together with the Chinese people, who "helped our revolution with blood," while hailing the bilateral relationship as an "unbreakable" alliance forged during the war.

During talks with Wang, Kim reiterated his commitment to maintaining the traditional friendship between the two allies under Chinese President Xi Jinping's leadership. Wang replied that Kim's visit was "important" for strengthening the two countries' traditional friendship and military ties.
  Before returning home, Kim attended a welcoming banquet hosted by Wang at Xi's instruction and visited a bus factory, where he encouraged workers there.

It was Kim's first trip to China since September 2025, when he attended an event in Beijing marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and met with Xi. It was also his sixth visit to China since taking power in 2011. But this time, Kim returned to North Korea without meeting Xi, despite their recent exchanges.

The visit was widely seen as an effort to reaffirm the traditional alliance between Pyongyang and Beijing while exploring opportunities to expand economic cooperation following the opening of the new bridge. China remains North Korea's largest trading partner and a key source of economic and diplomatic support.

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