North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrives in Chinese border city
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has arrived in the Chinese border city of Dandong via the newly opened New Yalu River Bridge, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported on Saturday.
The bridge connects the two countries via the Yalu River, a waterway that has long separated them. It was completed in 2014 but remained unused for 12 years due to a lack of connecting roads and customs facilities on the North Korean side.
The bridge officially opened about a week ago, marking a step towards strengthening economic ties between the neighbouring countries. China is North Korea’s largest trading partner and a key source of diplomatic, economic and political support for the isolated, nuclear-armed state.
The bridge highlights North Korea's ties with China. It opened just over a month after North Korea and Russia inaugurated their first road bridge, which Pyongyang hailed as a sign of closer ties.
It appears that Kim Jong Un has arrived in Dandong, China, via the New Yalu River Bridge.
While North Korea’s trade with Russia largely involves military supplies, trade with China could provide goods needed to develop its civilian economy, analysts say.
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