Kim Jong Un Travels to Beijing for Military Parade with Xi and Putin

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is traveling to Beijing by train to attend a military parade alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The event commemorates the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and China's resistance against Japan's wartime aggression. This marks Kim's first participation in a major multilateral event during his 14-year rule.

According to South Korea's National Intelligence Service, Kim's train entered China early Tuesday and is expected to reach Beijing later in the afternoon. The agency anticipates that Kim will receive protocol and security measures comparable to those provided to Putin. Kim may stand alongside Xi and Putin on the rostrum at Tiananmen Square during Wednesday's parade and is expected to hold bilateral meetings with the Chinese and Russian leaders.

Kim's visit to China is his first since 2019 and the fifth since he assumed power in 2011. The parade is set to feature over 10,000 troops and advanced weaponry, showcasing China's military capabilities. The event is attended by 26 world leaders, including Putin and Kim, highlighting the growing alignment among China, Russia, and North Korea amid tensions with the United States.

North Korea has prioritized relations with Russia in recent years, supplying troops and ammunition to support Russia's war in Ukraine in exchange for economic and military assistance. South Korean assessments indicate that North Korea has sent approximately 15,000 troops to Russia since last fall, with around 2,000 reported casualties. Additionally, North Korea has agreed to send thousands of military construction workers and deminers to Russia's Kursk region.

While relations with China have reportedly cooled in recent years, experts suggest that Kim aims to restore ties, as China remains North Korea's largest trading partner and aid provider. Kim's presence at the multilateral event in Beijing is seen as an effort to expand his diplomatic reach and develop partnerships with nations aligned with China and Russia.

Before departing for China, Kim visited a North Korean missile research institute to review progress on developing a new engine for a "next-generation" intercontinental ballistic missile. North Korea has tested various ICBMs capable of reaching the U.S. mainland, and analysts believe the next-generation ICBM refers to a long-range weapon with multiple nuclear warheads designed to evade U.S. missile defense systems.