Kim Jong one from North Korea leaves for China by armored train

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has left Pyongyang for China, where he will attend a military parade in the Beijing capital, according to media.

The parade of the “Victory Day”, which takes place on Wednesday, will see Kim rub shoulders with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Vladimir Putin of Russia and other world leaders – by making its first multilateral international meeting.

Kim left the North Korean capital Monday evening aboard its armored train, which would include a catering car serving beautiful French wines and dishes like fresh lobster.

The high protection of the train means that it moves slowly, and Kim’s trip should take up to 24 hours, according to the Yonhap agency to South Korea.

Kim’s attendance marks the first time that a North Korean leader has attended a Chinese military parade since 1959. He will be among the other 26 heads of state – including the leaders of Myanmar, Iran and Cuba – present.

His attendance is an upgrade of the last parade of the victory day in China in 2015, when Pyongyang sent one of his senior officials, Choe Ryong-Hae.

The Reclus leader rarely travels abroad, with his recent contacts with the world leaders limited to Putin, whom he has met twice since the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.

He visited Beijing for the last time in 2019 for an event marking the 70th anniversary of diplomatic links between countries. This trip also saw him travel by train.

The tradition of traveling via the train was launched by Kim’s grandfather, Kim Il Sung – who made his own train trips to Vietnam and Eastern Europe.

Kim’s father, Kim Jong Il, traveled by train as he is afraid to fly.

According to a South Korean media, the armored train has around 90 cars, including conference rooms, audience rooms and rooms.

Tens of thousands of soldiers will perform in training on the historic Tiananmen of Beijing on the day of the parade, which will mark the 80th anniversary of the surrender of Japan during the Second World War and the end of the conflict.

The 70 -minute parade is likely to present the latest weapons of China, including hundreds of planes, tanks and anti -line systems – the first time that the new strength of its soldier is entirely presented in a parade.

Most Western leaders are not supposed to attend the parade, due to their opposition to the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, which led to the sanctions against the Putin regime.

But he will see leaders of Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar and Vietnam – additional proof of the concerted efforts of Beijing to accelerate links with neighboring Southeast Asia.

A single EU leader will participate – Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico – while Bulgaria and Hungary will send representatives.