Satellite imagery appears to show construction at a square in central Pyongyang that has served as a focal point for visits by foreign leaders, fueling speculation that Chinese leader Xi Jinping may soon make his first trip to North Korea in more than six years.

The imagery on May 30 by satellite firm Vantor appears to show a fenced-off section and a structure being built in Kim Il Sung Square where leader Kim Jong Un hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin about two years ago. The fencing and construction materials were not seen in images about a month earlier.

The section apparently under construction was used for a gazebo when Kim hosted Putin in 2024 and to welcome Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to Pyongyang this year.?