North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is all set to travel to Beijing next week using his personal bulletproof train to attend China’s large-scale military parade, according to reports. The parade, scheduled for Wednesday at Tiananmen Square, will mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in 1945.
While North Korea has not revealed Kim’s exact travel plans, attention is focused on his choice of transport. The North Korean leader is known for his strict security measures, and experts believe he is more likely to take his customized train than “Chammae-1,” his private aircraft.
Kim used both the train and the plane for his past visits to China between 2018 and 2019. However, recent years have seen no reports of him flying on Chammae-1. In fact, when Kim travelled to Singapore in 2018 for his first summit with Trump, he borrowed a Chinese plane instead of using his own.
With no signs that North Korea has acquired a new aircraft, reports suggest that Kim’s train is the most likely choice. “Considering various circumstances, Kim is expected to use his special train for the upcoming trip to China.”
According to reports, the Zhonglian Hotel in Dandong, a border city along the train route, has suspended reservations for foreign tourists around the time of the parade. The hotel has done so in the past whenever Kim travelled through the city, Yonhap news agency reported.
Kim’s train is described as a moving fortress. It is equipped with bulletproof plates, a mortar for protection, satellite communication systems, GPS equipment, and other luxuries. A Russian official who once boarded the train called it a “perfect moving fortress.”
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Shivam Verma is a journalist with over three years of experience in digital newsrooms. He currently works at NewsX, having previously worked for Firstpost and DNA India. A postgraduate diploma holder in Integrated Journalism from the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai, Shivam focuses on international affairs, diplomacy, defence, and politics. Beyond the newsroom, he is passionate about football—both playing and watching—and enjoys travelling to explore new places and cuisines.
