Kim Jong Un went to China on Saturday for the first time in more than a year. He crossed into Dandong in Liaoning on the New Yalu River Bridge, South Korea's Unification Ministry said. Korea JoongAng Daily and Aju Press reported the trip. A government source said Chinese Premier Li Qiang greeted Kim on arrival. The visit appears timed to October 25, when the sides mark Chinese troops' entry into the 1950-53 Korean War, JoongAng Ilbo reported.

Neither side had said where Kim would go or why by Saturday afternoon. It was not clear if he would leave Dandong or meet President Xi Jinping, Aju Press reported. Kim last visited China in September 2025 for a Beijing parade and talks with Xi, Aju Press said. Xi visited Pyongyang in June, his first trip there in seven years. The sides agreed to raise ties, Aju Press reported.

The four-lane bridge links Dandong with Sinuiju. It was finished in 2014 but sat unused for more than a decade. It opened on October 15 after North Korea finished road and customs work, the reports said. The Unification Ministry called the opening the first clear step from the June summit, Aju Press said.

The trip comes amid social-media rumors of Kim's death. South Korea's National Intelligence Service said Friday the claims were false. North Korean state media said Kim had just led a two-day military meeting in Pyongyang, the reports said. President Trump also wants to resume talks with North Korea before year-end, JoongAng Daily reported.

What we know: Kim entered China at Dandong on the new Yalu bridge on Saturday, his first visit in more than a year.
What we don't: How long he will stay, and whether he will meet Xi.