Kim Jong-un makes a surprise visit to Dandong, China... Meeting with Prime Minister Li Qiang, ‘Oversight of the Economy’ (Comprehensive Report 2)

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Chae-rim Ha, Yunbo

Reporters Ram Park Soo-yoon and Kim Jeong-jin = It was confirmed on the 24th that North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-un made a surprise visit to China for the first time in over a year.

A government source told Yonhap News on this day, “Chairman Kim arrived in Dandong, Liaoning Province, China, via the New Yalu River Bridge.”

State Council Premier Li Chang, who oversees China's economic sector, welcomed Chairman Kim on site, said Yoon Kun-young, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea and the ruling party's ranking member on the National Assembly's Intelligence Committee.

Representative Yoon said that Chairman Kim's specific schedule in China is not known, but he is expected to finish his visit to China and return home on the same day.

It is reported that the likelihood of meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping is low. President Xi is scheduled to attend the 5th Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (5th Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee) to be held in Beijing from the 26th to the 29th.

Representative Yoon said in a phone call with Yonhap News, "It is presumed that there are two purposes: a positive signal about the North Korea-US summit and an event in North Korea-China relations, such as the opening of the New Yalu River Bridge." He added, "There is a five-fold meeting in China, and there is no reason for the bridge opening event to last long."

Accordingly, it is interpreted that the purpose of Chairman Kim's visit to China is to expand economic cooperation through inspection of the recently opened New Yalu River Bridge and a meeting with Prime Minister Li Chang.

The New Yalu Bridge is a four-lane, 3,026m long bridge connecting Dandong, the largest trade base between North Korea and China, and Sinuiju, North Pyongan Province. Official traffic was delayed due to North Korea's lack of connecting roads and customs clearance facilities, but it was officially opened 12 years after completion with the restoration of North Korea-China relations.

High-ranking figures from both countries attended the opening ceremony, including North Korean Ambassador to China Ri Ryong-nam and Chinese Ambassador to North Korea Wang Yajun, and North Korean Prime Minister Park Tae-sung and Premier Li Chang each delivered congratulatory remarks via video. This is the first time that Chairman Kim's local inspection has been made known.

As both North Korea and China emphasized 'economic linkage' and 'common interests' through state-run media regarding the significance of the opening of the bridge, it was predicted that economic and trade exchanges between the two countries would become more active in the future.

It is also noteworthy that Chairman Kim's visit to China took place ahead of the anniversary of China's participation in the Korean War on the 25th.

The Chinese army crossed the Yalu River on October 19, 1950 and participated in the Korean War, and October 25, when it achieved its first victory, was designated as the anniversary of its resistance to the United States and aid. Anti-American assistance means opposing the United States and helping North Korea.

It is possible to analyze that Chairman Kim is trying to reaffirm the blood alliance between North Korea and China, which has been strengthened as a 'strategic relationship', by showing Chairman Kim heading directly to China through the New Yalu River Bridge around the traditional anniversary between North Korea and China.

Chairman Kim's visit to China is the sixth in one year and one month since he visited Beijing in September last year to attend the event commemorating the 80th anniversary of China's victory in the Anti-Japanese War (Victory Day).

During his past five visits to China, he met with President Xi each time, but this time, it appears to have been coordinated through a meeting with Premier Li Qiang in Dandong, as the main goal was to expand economic cooperation with the opening of the New Yalu River Bridge rather than a political agenda.

While U.S. President Donald Trump has been pushing for a meeting with Chairman Kim within the year, attention is also being paid to whether there will be discussions between North Korea and China regarding the North Korea-US summit.

It was predicted that a face-to-face meeting between the leaders of the United States and the United States would take place around the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit to be held in Shenzhen, China on November 18-19, but recently, there has been growing speculation that the possibility of a meeting is low.

This visit to China was also a way for Chairman Kim, who had recently been rumored to have died mainly on overseas social media, to show off his health.

North Korea dismissed rumors of his death by releasing images of Chairman Kim visiting a light industry exhibition hall and a map of a large-scale military event on the 20th and today.

Rep. Kim Dae-sik of the People's Power Party, secretary of the National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, predicted in a phone call that "Chairman Kim's visit to China may have the meaning of refuting rumors of his death and of prior coordination with China ahead of the North Korea-U.S. summit."