By Cynthia Kim and Joyce Lee
SEOUL, Oct 25 (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un returned to his country by road on Sunday after visiting a historic Korean War memorial in the Chinese border city of Dandong, North Korean state media reported.
Kim visited the city on Saturday and crossed a newly opened bridge that connects the country to its biggest trading partner, China, which was seen as symbolizing a push by Beijing and Pyongyang to expand trade ties.
North Korean state media heavily emphasized the historical weight of the visit, describing the bilateral relationship as an "unbreakable" bond forged during the 1950-1953 conflict.
Kim stated during his tour that the North Korean people would "forever remember the glorious years of fighting alongside the Chinese people" and pass down "generational gratitude to the Chinese people who helped our revolution with blood," according to the KCNA.
The visit is seen as a renewed push by China and North Korea to bolster their economic relationship ahead of a trip to the region by US President Donald Trump next month. It also highlights a sophisticated diplomatic balancing act by Pyongyang, which has been deepening military ties with Moscow in the past two years.
Guided by Wang Huning, the fourth-ranking official in the Chinese Communist Party, Kim visited the "Memorial Hall of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea" in the border city of Dandong, accompanied by a high-level North Korean delegation that included his sister, Kim Yo Jong, and Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui.
Kim last visited Beijing in September 2025 for a military parade, and Chinese President Xi Jinping visited North Korea in June.
"Enjoying a bird's-eye view at the middle point of the newly-inaugurated bridge, Comrade Kim Jong Un expressed expectation that the bridge would undoubtedly and correctly fulfill its historic mission of linking the two countries and firmly joining the minds of the peoples of the two countries," KCNA reported.
The two Koreas are technically at war after their 1950-53 war ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty.
(Reporting by Cynthia Kim, Joyce Lee; Editing by David Gregorio, Alistair Bell and Thomas Derpinghaus)
