Inside Kim Jong Un's Bulletproof Train As North Korean Leader Arrives In Beijing: Security Guards, Food, Amenities

(MENAFN- Live Mint) North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrived in China on Tuesday aboard his private train to attend a military parade in Beijing, a rare travel outside of his country that will focus on his ties with Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Kim Jong Un reached China on his signature green bulletproof train, which relies on slow but a specialised form of travel. The train has been used by North Korean leaders for decades.

Since becoming the leader of North Korea in 2011, Kim Jong Un has travelled in this train to Russia, China and Vietnam.

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Taeyangho, the bulletproof train that Kim Jong Un uses for his travels abroad, is often dubbed as a 'moving fortress'. According to Yonhap News, the train travels at a speed of just 60 kilometres per hour, taking 20 hours to reach Beijing.

Ahn Byung-min, a South Korean expert on North Korean transport, has said multiple trains were needed by North Korean leaders for security reasons.

According to Ahn, those trains have 10 to 15 carriages each. Some of these carriages are only used by Kim Jong Un, and are equipped with facilites such as a bedroom, while others carry security guards and medical staff.

These trains also have a space for the North Korean leader' office, communications equipment, a restaurant and carriages for two armoured Mercedes, Ahn said.

A video released in 2018 by North Korean state TV showed Kim meeting with top Chinese officials in a wide train car ringed with pink couches.

Photos released on Tuesday provided further peek into the train, this time his office and desk. On the desk, a gold-embossed laptop computer, a bank of telephones, Kim's signature box of cigarettes and bottles with blue or clear liquids were seen sitting.

His office windows were decorated with blue and gold curtains.

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In 2020, state TV footage showed Kim riding a train to visit a typhoon-hit area, offering a glimpse of a carriage decorated with flower-shaped lighting and zebra-printed fabric chairs.

North Korea's founding leader, Kim Il Sung, KimJong Un's grandfather, travelled abroad by train regularly during his rule until his death in 1994.

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