(2nd LD) N. Korea's Kim arrives in China's Dandong via newly opened bridge

SEOUL, Oct. 24 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has arrived in China's border city of Dandong via a newly opened bridge linking the two nations, a government source said Saturday.

The government source told Yonhap News Agency that Kim arrived in Dandong after taking the bridge across the Amnok River, also known as the Yalu River in China.

Kim "arrived in Dandong, in China's Liaoning Province, via the New Amnok River Bridge," the source said.

The bridge, which links North Korea's border city of Sinuiju with China's Dandong, was opened this month after 12 years of construction, highlighting its potential to strengthen economic ties between Pyongyang and Beijing.

The four-lane bridge, stretching 3,026 meters, was completed in 2014 with an investment of about US$310 million from China. Its opening had been delayed for years due to North Korea's failure, if not refusal, to complete building connecting roads and customs facilities on its side.

Kim's arrival in Dandong came a day before North Korea and China are set to celebrate an anniversary of Chinese troops' participation in the 1950-53 Korean War.

Pyongyang and Beijing have observed Oct. 25 as the anniversary of Chinese troops' participation in the Korean War to aid North Korea. The day marked Chinese soldiers waging their first combat with the U.N. forces.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang was said to have traveled to Dandong.

Kim last visited China in September 2025. Saturday's visit marked his sixth to China.

Next month, China is set to host a summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Shenzhen, where U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to attend.

Trump has expressed hopes to hold talks with the North Korean leader, but Pyongyang has remained unresponsive.