Kim Jong Un, the Chairperson of North Korea's State Affairs Commission, set foot on Chinese soil aboard his private train. This is Kim's first visit to China in 6 years and 8 months since January 2019. His visit is confirmed to have taken place early on the 2nd, crossing the China-North Korea border via the Yalu River railway bridge, to attend the 80th anniversary celebration of China's victory on the 3rd in Beijing.
North Korea's state-run radio Korean Central Broadcasting and the Rodong Sinmun reported that "Comrade Kim Jong Un departed from Pyongyang on the 1st to attend the 80th anniversary celebration of the Chinese People's Anti-Japanese War and Global Anti-Fascist War." It is very unusual for the highest leader of North Korea to publicly disclose an overseas trip immediately after departure.
According to released photos and reports, key assistants such as Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui and Kim Sung Nam, the head of the Labor Party's International Department, accompanied Kim during this visit to China. Whether his spouse, First Lady Ri Sol Ju, daughter Ju Ae, or younger sister Kim Yo Jong, the Deputy Chairperson of the Party, traveled with him has not been confirmed. Although some key party officials were seen welcoming him in front of the train, it remains unclear if they actually traveled together.
The train carrying Kim is believed to have departed from Pyongyang, passing through Dandong in Liaoning Province, and heading toward Beijing. Traveling by train from Pyongyang to Beijing typically takes at least 16 to 20 hours, so Kim is expected to arrive in Beijing during the day.
Kim will participate in the 80th anniversary parade at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, where the leaders of North Korea, China, and Russia will gather. This visit to China is particularly significant as it marks Kim's first multilateral diplomatic stage since coming to power. Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin also arrived in China after attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit held in Tianjin.