Kim Jong Un steps off his prepare in 2019 forward of the U.S.-North Korea summit.

Nhac Nguyen/AFP by way of Getty Images

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Nhac Nguyen/AFP by way of Getty Images

Kim Jong Un steps off his prepare in 2019 forward of the U.S.-North Korea summit.

Nhac Nguyen/AFP by way of Getty Images

On Monday, a darkish inexperienced prepare with yellow trim was spotted on the border the place Russia, China and North Korea meet. Its distinctive coloring recognized it as a one-of-a-kind car that runs with one passenger in thoughts: the chief of North Korea, Kim Jong Un.

Kim hardly ever leaves North Korea. And when he does, he hardly ever flies, preferring to take an armored prepare, similar to his father and grandfather did earlier than him. This time, Kim is believed to be on his technique to Russia for a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin — his first identified journey outdoors North Korea in additional than 4 years.

A slow-moving bulletproof fortress

So what will we learn about Kim’s locomotive fortress? Well, for one, it is gargantuan.

In 2009, the Chosun media outlet in South Korea published details on the prepare utilized by Kim’s father, Kim Jong Il, and estimated that its engine pulled round 90 vehicles behind it. More recent estimates of Kim Jong Un’s prepare recommend that quantity might have dropped to 21. Some reviews additionally recommend that two different trains journey with Kim’s principal prepare: one to test the tracks forward, and one other to hold his safety entourage.

On Monday, a inexperienced prepare with yellow trimmings, resembling one utilized by Kim Jong Un on his earlier travels, is seen steaming by a slogan which reads “towards a new victory” on the North Korea border with Russia and China.

Ng Han Guan/AP

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Ng Han Guan/AP

The prepare accommodates bedrooms and convention rooms used for official state enterprise. Few pictures of its inside have been launched, however one video launched in 2018 confirmed Kim assembly with high Chinese officers in a large prepare automotive ringed with pink couches.

Weighed down by bulletproof siding, the prepare strikes at a glacial tempo in comparison with most trendy trains. It’s estimated that it solely strikes at a velocity of round 28 miles per hour on tracks in North Korea, and might enhance its velocity when it operates on China’s rail community.

All within the household

The Kim household’s penchant for touring by prepare began with Kim Il Sung, the founding father of North Korea, who was as soon as gifted a train carriage by Soviet chief Joseph Stalin. His son, Kim Jong Il, was famously afraid of flying, and most popular to journey by prepare. In 2010, his former bodyguard told South Korean media that the North Korean chief was afraid of being shot down by his enemies if he traveled by airplane. Kim died of coronary heart failure the next 12 months – and North Korean state media mentioned that he was on a train when he handed away.

In this picture launched by press workplace of the administration of Primorsky Krai area, North Korea’s safety officers watch for North Korean chief Kim Jong Un close to the prepare as he leaves Russia, on the principal prepare station in Vladivostok, Russia, on April 26, 2019.

Alexander Safronov/AP

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Alexander Safronov/AP

Kim Jong Un, the present chief of North Korea, has continued the household custom. In 2019, he traveled around 4,500 kilometers by way of China within the armored prepare to achieve Vietnam for his second face-to-face assembly with then-President Donald Trump. The journey took two-and-a-half days.

A repeat summit

This week, Kim appears poised to reach at his summit with Putin in related trend. South Korean media have reported that Kim left Pyongyang by prepare late on Sunday, and {that a} large security presence had descended on the prepare station within the jap Russian metropolis of Vladivostok, in anticipation of Kim’s arrival.

In this 2019 picture, a prepare carrying Kim Jong Un arrives for a deliberate assembly with President Vladimir Putin in Vladivostok, Russia.

Alexander Khitrov/AP

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Alexander Khitrov/AP

Details in regards to the potential assembly between Kim and Putin are scarce, however the Kremlin has confirmed that Kim will probably be arriving for an official go to. Over the weekend, Jon Finer, the chief deputy nationwide safety advisor for President Joe Biden, suggested that North Korea might be within the place of promoting weapons to Russia to be used in its struggle in Ukraine. For his half, Kim could also be looking for much-needed meals assist and superior army know-how. Kim and Putin have solely met one different time, 4 years in the past in the identical Russian metropolis of Vladivostok – then, too, he arrived in his bulletproof train.