Seoul, Jan 16 (IANS): A North Korean freight train crossed the Yalu River railroad bridge into China on Sunday, multiple sources said, raising the prospect of the two sides resuming land transactions following over a year-long suspension attributable to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The train from Sinuiju arrived in the Chinese border city of Dandong at around 9.10 a.m., the sources said, while it was not immediately confirmed whether it carried cargo or was empty, Yonhap News Agency reported.

It is likely to return to North Korea on Monday, with "emergency materials" loaded, according to a source.

It marks the first time that the secretive North has formally opened its land border with China in one and a half years.

It has closed borders, with all tour programs for foreigners and the operation of cross-border passenger trains halted, since the Covid-19 outbreak.

"It means that the exchange of materials (between North Korea and China) has formally got under way in effect," a government source said, adding that the shipments of medical supplies and daily necessities will likely be resumed.