North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has arrived in Beijing on his distinctive green armoured train to attend a military parade marking the anniversary of Japan's surrender in the Second World War. The bulletproof train, described by South Korea's Yonhap news agency as a 'moving fortress', travels at about 60 kilometres per hour, making the journey from Pyongyang approximately 20 hours long.
This specialised mode of transport has been used by North Korea's leaders for decades, offering safety and comfort for a large entourage, security guards, and amenities. Unlike his father Kim Jong-il, who exclusively travelled by rail due to a fear of flying, Kim Jong-un has flown to previous summits, including his 2018 meeting with Donald Trump in Singapore. However, the train remains his preferred method of travel, featuring bedrooms and a meeting room with reddish-pink leather armchairs.
State media photos showed Kim with senior officials, including Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui, on the train. Images depicted him taking a cigarette break next to a green carriage with gold crests and sitting in a wood-panelled office with a gold-embossed laptop, telephones, and his signature cigarettes. Kim is among 26 world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, attending the parade hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
This marks Kim's first attendance at a major multilateral event during his 14-year rule and the first time he, Xi, and Putin—all key challengers to US influence—have gathered at the same venue. While no private trilateral meeting has been confirmed, experts note that North Korea's foreign policy has prioritised Russia in recent years, supplying troops and ammunition for the war in Ukraine in exchange for economic and military aid. Relations with China have reportedly cooled, but Kim is expected to seek to restore ties given China's role as North Korea's largest trading partner and aid benefactor.
