SHENYANG -- North Korean restaurants in Chinese cities near the border with the North are moving to resume business as relations between the two countries improve rapidly, sources said Monday.

Following the three meetings this year between the leaders of North Korea and China, some North Korean restaurants in three northeastern Chinese provinces -- Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang -- have been seen preparing to reopen after months of closure linked to international sanctions.

At the Reungrado Restaurant in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, which was closed by order of the Chinese authorities on Jan. 10 this year, interior renovation work was under way as of last Saturday.

"The Reungrado Restaurant was closed for the past five months. But its shutters have been opened recently and a pile of cement bags apparently linked to a renovation work were seen at its entrance. Refrigerators and other restaurant equipment were also spotted entering the restaurant," said a source.

"Signs of a resumption of business at the Reungrado Restaurant appear to have been affected by the new atmosphere following successive summit talks between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Chinese President Xi Jinping."

The Ryukyung Restaurant, the largest North Korean establishment in Dandong, Liaoning Province, resumed its business in late April, one month after Kim's first summit with Xi in March, though it is now registered as being owned by a Chinese national.

The Chilbosan Hotel, a North Korean-Chinese joint venture in Shenyang, was closed on Jan. 9 under an order from Beijing, but is now also preparing to reopen its doors after changing its name and owner.(Yonhap)