North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will soon visit China to attend celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, state media reported on Thursday. The visit comes at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim will participate in events commemorating the “victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.” China observes September 3 as the day Japan surrendered in 1945, bringing World War II to an end.

The announcement comes after Kim inspected sniper and special operations units under the North Korean military’s General Staff. During his visit to the training base, Kim stressed that strengthening special forces and snipers is the “top priority” in the country’s military preparations. He described snipers as elite units trained for independent and high-stakes missions, calling for their armament and tactics to be modernized.

Kim also oversaw the inspection of a new indigenous sniper rifle, which he described as a “long-range precision” weapon, and reviewed plans for a central sniper training center. He further ordered improvements in camouflage combat suits tailored for mission-specific environments.

The KCNA highlighted these developments on the concluding day of the Ulchi Freedom Shield joint military drills between South Korea and the United States, exercises Pyongyang has condemned as preparations for invasion.

Kim’s upcoming China visit underscores growing coordination between Beijing and Pyongyang amid heightened regional tensions. The visit also signals North Korea’s strategic alignment with China as both countries mark a historic wartime anniversary.