Dandong · Full chronicle and history

According to Yonhap News Agency and Reuters, on October 24 Kim Jong-un arrived in Dandong, Liaoning, via the new Yalu River Bridge, visiting China again after more than a year, and State Council Premier Li Qiang met with him in Dandong.

On October 24, Kim Jong Un traveled by special train across the New Yalu River Bridge to visit Dandong, China, marking a significant development in high-level exchanges between the two countries since the bridge opened.

Kyodo News reported, citing diplomatic sources, that strict traffic controls were imposed around the Dandong Yalu River Bridge and museums related to the Korean War during Kim Jong-un's visit on October 24, and hotel bookings were restricted.

According to reports from AFP and Radio France Internationale, the new Yalu River bridge connecting China and North Korea officially went into operation on Thursday, with trucks beginning to cross the bridge. Chinese Premier Li Qiang attended and delivered a speech. The opening of the bridge further strengthened North Korea's ties with its neighbors, drawing the attention of Dandong residents, who expressed hope of visiting the opposite bank.

According to a report by France's Radio France Internationale citing Les Échos, the new China–North Korea Yalu River bridge has officially gone into operation 12 years after it was completed. North Korea's move is intended to increase trade with China, while also cautiously avoiding excessive political dependence on Beijing.

On October 14, Xinhua News Agency announced that the New Yalu River Bridge connecting Dandong, China, and Sinuiju, North Korea, will officially open on October 15, with both sides holding a joint opening ceremony. The bridge had been idle for about 12 years after its completion in October 2014. The construction costs were fully covered by the Chinese side, and the opening was long delayed because the North Korean side failed to complete the connecting roads and customs facilities in time.

On October 8, Reuters visited Dandong and found that most shops in the Guomenwan Trade Zone near the Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge were vacant. A manager stated that the opening of the bridge had little to do with the local area.

Kim Jong-un rarely visited Dandong alone and was received by Wang Huning; analysts believe this may involve military cooperation between China and North Korea and plans for a special economic zone.

On August 24, 2026, the Dandong Intermediate People's Court in Liaoning Province held a public first-instance sentencing in the bribery case of Ren Yuzhong, former standing committee member and vice president of Peking University, finding him guilty of taking more than 31.95 million yuan in bribes and sentencing him to eight years in prison plus a fine of 2.6 million yuan.

On August 23, 2026, Dandong City in Liaoning Province was hit by heavy rainstorms. Short-term intense rainfall caused severe road waterlogging and urban flooding in multiple areas of the city.

On a rural road in Huangtukan Town, Dandong, Liaoning, an severely overloaded minivan lost control and crashed into a large tree by the roadside. The vehicle was packed with 21 seasonal workers picking blueberries, resulting in eight deaths and thirteen injuries.

The Ghanaian couple, the Jia Cheng couple, who run a café in Dandong, a border city between China and North Korea, were arrested by Chinese state security on suspicion of espionage and endangering national security; the timeline is basically the same as that of the arrest and release of the Ghanaian-Chinese businessman Su Bin.