A North Korean flag flutters from a train believed to be carrying North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, as it arrives in Beijing, China, September 2, 2025. The North Korean leader is expected to attend a military parade in Beijing on Wednesday to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two. REUTERS
A train believed to be carrying North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrives in Beijing, ahead of a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two in Beijing, China, September 2, 2025. REUTERS
BEIJING, Sept 2 (Reuters) – A train marked with a North Korean flag and other visible design features consistent with one that has been used by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was seen travelling on a railway track in Beijing, Reuters witnesses said on Tuesday.
Shortly after the train was spotted, a motorcade with a North Korean flag was seen leaving the Beijing Railway Station, a Reuters witness said.
Kim is expected to attend a military parade in Beijing on Wednesday, joining Chinese President Xi Jinping and other leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Since becoming the North Korean leader in late 2011, Kim has travelled by train – a slow but specialised form of transport that the reclusive country’s leaders have used for decades – to visit China, Vietnam and Russia.
Reporting by Alessandro Diviggiano, Go Nakamura and Florence Lo; Writing by Liz Lee; Editing by Bernadette Baum
