SEOUL, Oct. 24 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrived Saturday in the Chinese border city of Dandong via a newly opened bridge connecting the two countries, a South Korean government source said, according to Yonhap News Agency.

The trip comes as Beijing and Pyongyang seek to boost economic and diplomatic ties after years of trade disruptions and strained relations.

China and North Korea opened the New Yalu River Bridge earlier this month. The 3-kilometre crossing links Dandong in China’s Liaoning province to Sinuiju in North Korea. Its opening comes after years of delays since construction was completed in 2014.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang met Kim in Dandong, Yonhap News Agency reported. But it was not immediately clear what details were available about the reported meeting and Kim’s broader itinerary.

The bridge is expected to increase the flow of goods between the neighbouring countries, including industrial equipment, raw materials and energy supplies. The opening could help to boost bilateral trade, but the extent and speed of any rise is unclear.

"The opening of the bridge has removed a major obstacle to cross-border trade and could support further growth in commercial exchanges," said Lu Chao, a China-North Korea relations expert at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences.

Kim's reported arrival comes after a period of renewed high-level engagement between the two governments. His last visit to China was in September 2025, when he attended celebrations for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Beijing and met Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Xi visited North Korea in June 2026, when the two sides agreed to expand cooperation in various sectors.

No confirmation has been given of a meeting between Kim and Xi during the current visit. “Just because he’s turned up in Dandong, that doesn’t mean we can say what his intentions are,” said Christopher Green, a Korea specialist at Leiden University in the Netherlands. “But a summit with Xi is possible.”

China is North Korea’s most important economic and diplomatic partner and accounts for most of its official trade. But Pyongyang has bolstered its relationships with Russia since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, creating another key channel for economic and military cooperation.

Kim's visit also comes as US President Donald Trump attempts to revive diplomatic engagement with North Korea. Reuters reported on Friday that U.S. and South Korean officials had grown increasingly sceptical about the prospects of Trump and Kim meeting before the end of 2026.

Trump is expected to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen next month, where China is due to host the meeting. Whether Kim's visit will lead to a meeting with Xi or have a broader impact on diplomatic efforts is unclear.