The private train carrying Kim Jong Un, the Chairperson of the North Korean State Affairs Commission, arrived at Beijing Station around 4 p.m. (local time) on the 2nd. After disembarking from the train, the Chairperson was confirmed to have visited the North Korean embassy in China as his first destination.
The Chairperson departed from Pyongyang in the afternoon on the 1st and crossed the North Korean border early in the morning of the 2nd, passing through Dandong in Liaoning Province, China, before arriving in Beijing. The private train, spotted around 4 p.m. near Beijing Station, was adorned with North Korean flags and gold embellishments. Photos of the office inside the train released by the Korean Central News Agency suggest that Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui and Kim Song Nam, the presumed head of the Labor Party's international department, were also on board.
The Chairperson's first schedule upon arriving in Beijing was a visit to the North Korean embassy. It is estimated that he arrived around 4:20 p.m. Following this, the Chairperson is expected to move to the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse. He has previously stayed at the No. 18 building in Diaoyutai during past visits to China. This venue is where both his grandfather, Kim Il Sung, and father, Kim Jong Il, also stayed.
This visit marks the Chairperson's first trip to China in over six years. He will attend the 80th anniversary commemorative military parade on the morning of the 3rd at 9 a.m., where he will meet with various world leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. It will be the first time that the leaders of North Korea, China, and Russia have met together since the end of the Cold War. Additionally, by participating in this event, the Chairperson will make his debut on the multilateral diplomatic stage, rather than engaging in bilateral diplomacy. This marks the first time for North Korea in about 60 years.