North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrived in China's border city

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrived in China via the newly opened bridge, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported on Saturday.

"It appears that Kim Jong Un has arrived in Dandong, China, via the New Yalu River Bridge," the unnamed source said.

The four-lane bridge 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. 

It 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, though relations between the two have not always been smooth.

Bridge highlights North Korea’s ties with China

The New Yalu River Bridge opened just over a month after North Korea and Russia inaugurated their first road bridge, which Pyongyang hailed as a sign of closer ties.

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.

Edited by: Zac Crellin

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