North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has arrived in China aboard his armored green train to attend a military parade marking China’s Sept. 3 commemorations, state media confirmed on Monday.
Rodong Sinmun, North Korea’s official newspaper, released images showing Kim smiling on board the train, seated at a polished wooden table with the national flag in the background. He was accompanied by senior officials, including Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui.
The train, long associated with the Kim dynasty, is a hallmark of North Korea’s leadership. Kim’s father, Kim Jong Il, famously avoided flying and relied on the armored train for both domestic and international trips.
According to historical accounts, the train is heavily fortified and moves at about 60 kilometers per hour but is outfitted with conference rooms, satellite phones, bedrooms, and entertainment facilities. During Kim Jong Il’s era, more than 20 exclusive stations were reportedly built for its use.
Foreign observers have described the journeys as lavish. Russian official Konstantin Pulikovsky, who traveled with Kim Jong Il in 2002, recalled that meals included lobster, barbecue pork, and French wines.
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Kim Jong Un has used the train for several high-profile foreign trips, including visits to Beijing in 2018 to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and to Vladivostok in 2019 for a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In 2023, he traveled by rail to Russia’s far east for another meeting with Putin, where state media displayed the train’s ornate interiors.
Despite the luxury, reports from international agencies point to widespread poverty and food shortages inside North Korea, highlighting the contrast between the leader’s travel arrangements and citizens’ hardships.
North Korean state media has also used the train as a propaganda tool, often depicting Kim traveling domestically to meet citizens. A replica of one carriage is displayed at the mausoleum in Pyongyang where his father and grandfather are preserved.
Kim’s visit comes as Beijing prepares to host leaders, including Russia’s Vladimir Putin, for the Sept. 3 parade, seen as a demonstration of China’s partnership with countries opposed to Western influence.
CNN
