Explainer
Why did a finished bridge to North Korea sit unused for years?
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A South Korean government source says Kim crossed the Yalu from Sinuiju into Dandong on Saturday, over the new bridge, though North Korea's state media has not mentioned the trip.
Sinuiju and Dandong
The four-lane bridge sat unused for 12 years. The holdup was on the North Korean side: North Korea didn't connect it to its roads while relations with Beijing were cool.
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The bridge was completed in 2014 but only opened in mid-October, about a week before Kim's reported crossing. Russia had opened its own road bridge to Pyongyang about a month earlier, a move that reportedly unsettled Chinese officials.
- 2014Finished on China's side
- October 2026Opens to traffic
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Kim Jong Un makes one-day trip to China, visits Dandong and crosses new bridgeRead the article
Based on reports by
- vrtnws.beVIDEO “Alive and kicking” Kim Jong-un opens bridge between North Korea and China
- G4Media.roKim Jong Un visited a war memorial in China
- Il MessaggeroKim Jong Un in China, the full 18-minute video: from the Maybach to the bow to the workers
- The IndependentKim returns from China visit praising Xi as Pyongyang seeks closer Beijing ties
- AdnkronosNorth Korea: Kim Jong Un visits Dandong to celebrate friendship with China
- N-tvKim Jong Un returns to North Korea after visit to China