North Korean leader inspects island areas near China

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has visited island areas near China, the country's state media said Saturday, marking his first inspection following his historic summit with the US leader, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported.

The North's leader made the so-called field guidance to a reed farm in Sindo County in North Pyongan Province, which borders China, according to the Korean Central News Agency.

It was his first such inspection since his summit with US President Donald Trump in Singapore on June 12 and his third visit to China on June 19 and 20.

Kim's rare visit to the remote northern region spawns speculation that the North may seek to strengthen its economic cooperation with China amid their thawing ties.

Kim held his first summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in March, followed by another in May in the run-up to his meeting with Trump over the North's nuclear program.