I fought tooth and nail to refute the rumors! Korean media said Kim Jong-un visited China to open the new Yalu River Bridge

On September 4, 2025, Chinese President Xi Jinping shook hands with visiting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. (Reuters)

South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported on the 24th, quoting South Korean government sources, that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, whose death was recently reported, arrived in Dandong, China via the recently opened new Yalu River Bridge, marking Kim Jong-un's first visit to China in more than a year.

A spokesman for South Korea's Unification Ministry had no immediate comment. China's Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The New Yalu River Bridge connects Dandong, Liaoning Province, China, and Sinuiju, North Pyongan Province, North Korea. After its completion, it was delayed for 12 years due to factors such as imperfect connecting roads and port facilities on the North Korean side. It was not officially opened until the 15th of this month. It symbolizes the recovery of China-North Korea relations, which were once drifting apart, and will also help to revitalize business exchanges between the two countries.

Kim Jong-un did not attend the opening ceremony of the new Yalu River Bridge in person at the time, but North Korean Prime Minister Park Tae-sung delivered a speech via video.

Kim Jong-un's last public visit to China was in September 2025, when he went to Beijing to attend the 80th anniversary celebrations of Victory Day in World War II and meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping; Xi Jinping's state visit to North Korea in June this year was seen as a sign of improvement in China-North Korea relations.

Reuters reported on the 23rd that U.S. President Trump wants to hold talks with Kim Jong-un, but U.S. and South Korean officials believe that it is unlikely that the "Sichuan-Kim Four Meetings" will take place this year. Trump and Kim Jong-un held face-to-face talks three times during Trump's first term in office.