DANDONG: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un returned home on Saturday after making a day-long trip to the Chinese border city of Dandong, Beijing’s state media reported, though the purpose of the unannounced visit was not immediately clear and there was no mention of talks with his counterpart Xi Jinping.

Kim is thought to have crossed into China via a major border bridge that officially opened last week, 12 years after its completion, deepening economic ties between China and diplomatically isolated North Korea.

Neither North Korea nor China disclosed Kim’s visit in advance. South Korean lawmaker Youn Kun-young said Kim was “understood” to have met Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Saturday. A readout from China’s Xinhua news agency did not mention talks between Kim and Xi or Li. Instead, it said Wang Huning, Beijing’s top political adviser, accompanied Kim in Dandong and “saw him off” at the bridge at the end of the trip.

Published in Dawn, October 25th, 2026