On the 3rd, ahead of the 80th anniversary celebration of China's victory, 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. The area around Beijing Station, a major route for the Chairperson, and the North Korean Embassy in China was buzzing with tight security throughout the afternoon.
At Beijing Station's boarding platform, as of 3 p.m., a train with all window curtains closed was blocking the entirety of track one where Kim's dedicated train was entering. Several black sedans and vans were waiting on the platform obscured by the train. Security personnel were also visible. Access to platform three, which faced platform one, had been completely blocked off for passengers early on.
With less than an hour remaining until Kim's arrival, plainclothes police appeared to be hurriedly escorting passengers who remained on the platform onto the train, which departed 5 minutes earlier than the scheduled departure time without any separate announcement. On the train, passengers had to undergo identity checks three times during the approximately 30-minute journey to the next station. Police were even stationed in the brush near the railway on the outskirts of Beijing.
The North Korean Embassy, which Kim was scheduled to visit, was also under strict control. Beginning around 11 a.m., security personnel were significantly reinforced, and access to the street in front of the embassy was prohibited. Just sitting for a moment on a bench across from the main entrance led to 5 or 6 police officers surrounding and demanding identity verification. After lunch, nearby restaurants all ceased operations, and some had notices indicating they would be closed until the 5th.
Earlier, around 4 p.m. on the 1st, Kim boarded the special train "Taiyangho" heading to China from Pyongyang Station. Photos of the train's interior office released by the Korean Central News Agency suggest that Choe Son Hui, the Foreign Minister, and Kim Song Nam, the head of the International Department of the Labor Party, were also on board.
The train passed through Dandong, Liaoning Province, on the border with North Korea early that morning, then went through Shenyang and Tianjin, arriving in Beijing around 4 p.m. About 10 minutes later, vehicles believed to be carrying him departed the station along with several escort vehicles.
After his arrival, Kim's first schedule was to visit the North Korean Embassy, which recently completed renovation work. The embassy had redecorated the main building with a new mold plate before Kim's visit. Kim is believed to have arrived at the embassy around 4:20 p.m.
On the day of the event, Kim is expected to participate in the parade at 9 a.m. on the 3rd, sitting alongside Xi Jinping, the President of China, and Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, at the Tiananmen Tower to observe the event. Following that, he is scheduled to attend a reception and communicate with various world leaders, marking his debut on the multilateral diplomatic stage. Meetings with President Xi, after more than six years, and with President Putin, after about a year, are anticipated.