Xi Jinping to Visit North Korea for First Time in Four Years

WHO:

ABC News - Chinese leader Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are involved in the upcoming visit.

CNN - Xi Jinping is the Chinese leader, while Kim Jong Un is the North Korean leader.

WHAT:

ABC News - Xi Jinping will travel to North Korea for a state visit, marking his first visit in nearly seven years.

CNN - The visit will last for two days, starting from next Monday.

WHERE:

ABC News - The visit will take place in North Korea.

CNN - The state media Xinhua and North Korea’s state-run KCNA news agency confirmed the trip.

WHEN:

ABC News - Xi's last visit to North Korea was in June 2019.

ABC News - The upcoming visit is scheduled for Monday to Tuesday.

WHY:

ABC News - The visit is part of China's efforts to reinforce its ties with North Korea amid Kim Jong Un's outreach to Russia.

ABC News - Analysts suggest that Xi’s trip aims to reassert China's influence over North Korea and safeguard its strategic interests in northeast Asia.

ABC News - Kim Jong Un is seeking international recognition as a nuclear state to negotiate the lifting of sanctions.

HOW:

ABC News - The announcement of Xi's trip followed North Korea's unveiling of a new facility to produce nuclear bomb ingredients, assessed as a uranium enrichment plant by South Korea's military.

(UPDATED June 5, 2026 06:23 UTC)

Chinese leader Xi Jinping is set to travel to North Korea for a state visit, marking his first trip there in nearly seven years, and it will take place next Monday and Tuesday. This visit comes as Kim Jong Un seeks international recognition as a nuclear state while also aiming to negotiate the lifting of sanctions, and it follows North Korea's recent unveiling of a new facility for producing nuclear bomb ingredients. Analysts suggest that Xi's trip is part of China's strategy to reinforce its ties with North Korea and reassert its influence in the region amid Kim's outreach to Russia.