Scheduled to Attend Military Parade
Departed Pyongyang the Previous Day Aboard Special Train
The train carrying Kim Jong Un, Chairman of North Korea's State Affairs Commission, who is on his fifth visit to China, arrived in Beijing, China, on September 2.
According to AFP and other sources, a train believed to be carrying Chairman Kim was seen entering Beijing Station on this day. The train was adorned with the North Korean national flag.
This marks Chairman Kim's fifth visit to China, and he is visiting to attend the military parade commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War (Victory Day) on September 3. Previously, North Korea's state-run radio, Korean Central Broadcasting Station, reported that Chairman Kim departed Pyongyang on a special train the previous day and crossed the North Korea-China border early in the morning. It is unusual for North Korea to release information about the supreme leader's overseas trip immediately after departure. However, as of yet, there have been no reports confirming Chairman Kim's arrival in Beijing. In photos released by the Korean Central News Agency, Choe Sonhui, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and an individual believed to be Kim Songnam, Director of the International Department of the Workers' Party, were seen accompanying Chairman Kim in his office compartment on the special train.
Chairman Kim is expected to stand alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the military parade held at Tiananmen Square in Beijing. This will be the first time since the end of the Cold War that the leaders of North Korea, China, and Russia gather together. In addition, this event marks Chairman Kim's debut on a multilateral diplomatic stage, as opposed to previous bilateral diplomatic engagements.
Attention is also focused on whether Chairman Kim will immediately hold talks with President Xi or President Putin. President Xi held successive meetings with President Putin and other foreign leaders earlier in the day. According to TASS, the Kremlin stated regarding the possibility of a meeting between Chairman Kim and President Putin, "Depending on (Chairman Kim's) schedule upon arrival, direct discussions with the delegation may be possible." If the leaders of North Korea, China, and Russia go a step further and hold their first-ever trilateral summit, it is expected to highlight the dynamic of 'North Korea-China-Russia versus the United States-South Korea-Japan.'
In South Korea, attention is also on whether National Assembly Speaker Woo Wonshik, who ranks second in protocol, will encounter Chairman Kim at the parade. Speaker Woo, effectively representing the government, departed for China via Incheon International Airport in the afternoon and stated regarding the possibility of meeting Chairman Kim, "If we meet, we will discuss the issue of peace on the Korean Peninsula."
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