North Korea’s state-run newspaper Rodong Sinmun reported on Tuesday that Kim Jong Un, General Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea, departed by private train on Monday and crossed the border early on Tuesday to attend China’s 80th anniversary celebration of victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War (Victory Day).
The prompt reporting of the supreme leader’s visit to China demonstrates the regime’s eagerness to keep its citizens informed. The newspaper stated that Kim left Pyongyang on Monday via a special train in response to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s invitation to attend the commemorative events.
According to the report, the private train crossed the border in the early hours of Tuesday.
While the newspaper only mentioned that key party and government officials accompanied Kim, released photographs confirmed the presence of Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui and International Department Head Kim Song-nam on the train. It remains unclear whether Kim’s wife, Ri Sol Ju, or his daughter, Kim Ju Ae, was part of the delegation.
The newspaper also published images of party secretaries Jo Yong Won and Kim Tok Hun receiving instructions from Kim at the station prior to his departure.
Earlier, the Korean Central News Agency reported that Kim Chun Il, director of the Foreign Ministry’s press department, announced that Kim departed by special train on Monday to attend the 80th anniversary celebrations.
The journey from Pyongyang to Beijing typically takes 16 to 20 hours by train. Kim is expected to arrive on Tuesday, the day before the Victory Day event. The train’s route likely includes Sinuiju on the northwestern border, followed by Dandong, Shenyang, and Tianjin in China before reaching Beijing.
A key point of interest will be seeing the leaders of North Korea, China, and Russia standing together on the Tiananmen rostrum. President Xi is expected to be flanked by Russian President Vladimir Putin on his right and Kim on his left.
It is anticipated that Kim will hold bilateral summits with both Xi and Putin during his visit. The North Korea–China summit would be the first in over 6 years and 2 months, following Xi’s visit to Pyongyang in June 2019. If a North Korea–Russia summit materializes, it would mark their first meeting since June of last year in Pyongyang. However, experts consider a trilateral summit among North Korea, China, and Russia to be unlikely.