North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un Travels to China for Military Parade
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has entered China aboard his distinctive green train to attend a military parade marking Japan’s formal surrender in World War II, according to state media reports from North Korea.
Kim departed Pyongyang on Monday and crossed into China early Tuesday, as reported by Rodong Sinmun, North Korea’s state-run newspaper. He is scheduled to arrive in Beijing later in the day.
The train, described by South Korea’s Yonhap news agency as a heavily armored "fortress," moves at a speed of roughly 60 kilometers (37 miles) per hour, making the trip to Beijing approximately 20 hours long.
This slow yet specialized mode of transportation has been used by North Korean leaders for decades. Compared to the country’s aging passenger aircraft, the armored train provides a more secure and comfortable environment, accommodating a large delegation, security personnel, supplies, and space for discussions before official engagements.
Unlike his father, Kim Jong-il, who avoided flying, Kim Jong-un has used air travel for key meetings, such as his 2018 summit in Singapore with then-U.S. President Donald Trump and a later meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Dalian. However, the train—equipped with sleeping quarters, a conference room, and leather furnishings—seems to be his preferred method for extended journeys. In 2019, it carried him 4,500 kilometers across China for his second meeting with Trump in Hanoi, a trip that lasted over two days.
Rodong Sinmun released images showing Kim and his delegation, including Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui, aboard and outside the train, which resembles previous armored models he has used. Other photos showed Kim and senior officials pausing for a cigarette break beside a green train car adorned with gold insignia, as well as inside a wood-paneled office displaying the North Korean flag and a large emblem.
His workspace featured a gold-detailed laptop, multiple telephones, his usual cigarettes, and bottles with blue or clear liquids. The windows were draped in blue-and-gold curtains.
Kim is one of 26 world leaders joining Xi for the military parade in Beijing. Russian President Vladimir Putin will also be present. While this marks Kim’s first major international gathering during his 14-year leadership, it is also the first time he, Xi, and Putin—all prominent figures opposing U.S. influence—will convene at the same event. No private meeting between the three has been confirmed.
In recent years, North Korea has prioritized relations with Russia, supplying military aid for its war in Ukraine in exchange for economic and military support.
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