A North Korean freight train returned home from China on Monday, reportedly carrying supplies for the North Korean government. A Chinese official says regular land trade between the two countries has yet to resume.

The train arrived in the Chinese border city of Dandong the previous day after crossing a border bridge from North Korea's northwestern city of Sinuiju.

The freight train's latest travel has drawn attention among observers over a possible resumption of land trade with China. North Korea has kept its border closed, citing the need to prevent coronavirus infections.

A Chinese official said the train left Dandong on Monday morning and returned to North Korea after loading cargo on the Chinese side.

The official told NHK that the train was carrying supplies for the North Korean government and denied that trade has resumed.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted informed sources as saying that the train seems to have brought home emergency relief items such as medical supplies and daily necessities.

North Korea has closed its border with China and Russia for nearly two years to stave off the coronavirus.
The country's leader Kim Jong Un calls preventing infection a priority national project.

But the border closure has dealt a blow to an economy that has already been damaged by international sanctions.

Attention is on whether Pyongyang will fully resume land trade ahead of the 80th anniversary of the birth of the leader's late father Kim Jong Il in February.