The North Korean Labor Party's official newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, reports that on the 2nd, Kim Jong Un, General Secretary of the Party, departed on a private train to attend the 80th anniversary ceremony of the victory of the People's Anti-Japanese War and the Anti-Fascist War in China, passing through the border in the early morning of the 2nd./Courtesy of News1

Kim Jong-un, Chairperson of the North Korean Labor Party and Commissioner of the State Affairs Commission, is visiting Beijing on March 3 to attend the 80th anniversary military parade in China, while the North Korean authorities are on guard against leaks of Kim's biometric information. It has been reported that Kim's train is equipped with a private toilet and a personal bathroom is also planned to be installed.

On the 2nd, the Nihon Keizai (Nikkei) newspaper cited intelligence sources from Japan and Korea, reporting that "It appears a private toilet has been installed on Kim Jong-un's train en route to China," adding that "This is because there are concerns about health information leaking externally through Kim Jong-un's excrement." It continued, "Even when inspecting military-related facilities or state-owned factories within North Korea, a private toilet for Kim Jong-un is provided in the vehicle, and a personal bathroom is installed as well."

This is not the first time that Kim has taken a private toilet during an overseas visit. In April 2018, during the inter-Korean summit with President Moon Jae-in held at the "House of Peace" in the southern facilities of Panmunjom, the North Korean side independently transported Kim's private toilet. This was a measure taken to avoid using the toilet at the House of Peace.

In June of the same year, during a summit with President Donald Trump in Singapore, North Korea transported Kim's private toilet by plane. When Kim's private train stopped at the Nanning Station in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China, ahead of the February 2019 North Korea-U.S. summit in Hanoi, Kim was seen smoking after getting off the train, and Kim Yo-jong, Deputy Director of the Labor Party, appeared holding an ashtray to collect his cigarette butts.

In the early morning of February 26, 2019, a private train carrying Kim Jong Un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, is stopped at Nanning Station in southern China, as Kim Jong Un smokes a cigarette. While Kim Jong Un is smoking, his younger sister Kim Yo Jong, Deputy Director of the Labor Party, holds the ashtray with both hands./Courtesy of Chosun DB

The Nikkei analyzed that "it appears they collected it because they can assess Kim Jong-un's health status through the saliva-stained cigarette butt." A scene was also captured where Kim Jong-un was seen putting a used match back into the matchbox. Furthermore, when Kim Jong-un signed joint statements, it is reported that the North Korean side had him use a pen they prepared in advance to prevent fingerprint collection.

In addition, when staying at hotels in Singapore and Hanoi, North Korean attendants followed Kim's movements around his room and collected hair directly with their hands or wiped away saliva. This is a measure to completely remove DNA from all utensils used by Kim.

A source from Korea's intelligence agency familiar with North Korean issues told the Nikkei, "The health information of the supreme leader has a significant impact on the North Korean regime," noting that "North Korea is putting in special efforts to secure the biometric information of the supreme leader to prevent leakage of hair and excrement."

※ This article has been translated by AI. Share your feedback here.