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Kim Jong Un arrives in Beijing with Kim Ju Ae for Xi Jinping’s Victory Day parade.
Kim Jong Un in Beijing with Kim Ju Ae.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrived in the Chinese capital for the first time in five years, accompanied by his daughter Kim Ju Ae, to attend China President Xi Jinping’s grand “Victory Day” military parade. The event will mark the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War Two and showcase China’s largest-ever display of military might.
Photos showed Kim Jong Un stepping off his bulletproof green train at Beijing Railway Station, flanked by top aides and his daughter, who South Korea’s spy agency has previously identified as his “most likely” successor. She wore a black dress suit as she walked behind her father during the arrival ceremony.
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China’s state news agency Xinhua reported that Kim Jong Un was welcomed by senior Communist Party figures, including Foreign Minister Wang Yi, in what it described as a “warm atmosphere.” Kim Jong Un, it said, thanked Xi Jinping for the “enthusiastic and cordial hospitality.”
Xi Jinping’s Biggest Parade Yet
Xi Jinping will preside over tens of thousands of soldiers marching through Tiananmen Square, in a 70-minute parade expected to display hundreds of aircraft, tanks, anti-drone systems and other advanced weaponry. It will be the first time China’s restructured military force is showcased in full. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has met Kim Jong Un twice since invading Ukraine, will attend the event as well.
Kim Jong Un’s Rare Foreign Visit
No North Korean leader has joined a Chinese military parade since 1959. Kim Jong Un’s decision to travel personally marks a step up from 2015 when Pyongyang sent senior official Choe Ryong-hae.
Kim Jong Un left Pyongyang on Monday aboard his armored train- a mode of travel passed down from his grandfather Kim Il Sung and father Kim Jong Il, who both avoided air travel. The slow-moving, heavily protected train is reported to have up to 90 carriages, including conference rooms, audience chambers, bedrooms and even a restaurant serving French wines and lobster.
This trip is Kim Jong Un’s first to Beijing since 2019, when he attended celebrations marking 70 years of diplomatic relations between the two neighbors.
- Location :
North Korea
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