In this latest trip to Russia, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un used a dark green train to travel to the country in a bit to further deepen ties with Kremlin. The train crossed into the Primorsky region from North Korea as visuals showed the train being pulled along a track by a Russian Railways locomotive.
The two leaders met at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia’s Far East as North Korea’s Un vowed closer ties with Moscow. Kim Jong Un said his country would “always be with Russia” as President Vladimir Putin hosted him at a Far East spaceport.
Why North Korean Leader Chose Train?
Since taking power in 2011, Kim Jong Un didn’t leave his country for six years. Then, in 2018 he embarked on a 15-month international travel spree, heading to China, Russia, Vietnam and Singapore to meet world leaders.
For majority of the travel overseas, including South Korea twice, using his special train. Previously, Kim has also used a train to visit China and Vietnam, as well as his previous trip to Russia to meet Putin in 2019.
Kim relies on the slow but specialised form of transportation that the reclusive country’s leaders have used for decades. Compared to North Korea’s ageing fleet of planes, bulletproof trains offer a safer and more comfortable space for a large entourage, security guards, food and amenities, and a place to discuss agendas ahead of meetings.
Moreover, if an aircraft is attacked the chances of survival are significantly reduced, compared to a train. It is also more challenging to predict train itineraries.
Kim’s father Kim Jong Il was also known for his fear of flying, limiting his foreign trips to overland journeys to China and Russia by armoured train.
The elder Kim once took his train from Pyongyang to Moscow in 2001, a marathon 20,000-kilometre round trip that took about 24 days. According to the official North Korean account, Kim Jong Il was on a train for a “field guidance” visit in 2011 when he died of a heart attack.
All about the Train
It is unclear how many trains North Korean leaders have used several trains over the years for security reasons. The Kims reportedly have several almost identical special trains made by a factory in Pyongyang.
The trains have 10 to 15 carriages each, some of which are used only by the leader, such as a bedroom. The trains also have carriages to carry security guards and medical staff while it also carries Kim’s office.
A video, released in 2018, showed the carriage housing Kim’s office, with a desk and chair, and a map of China and the Korean peninsula on the wall behind it.
The wheels of Kim Jong Un’s train must be changed in Russia or a North Korean station bordering Russia, because the two countries use different rail gauges.
The elder Kim’s train included a residential carriage, the “headquarters” carriage, a restaurant, several car transportation carriages with two armoured Mercedes, according to former Russian diplomat Georgy Toloraya.
How safe are Trains?
Nicknamed the “moving fortress”, Kim’s current train has bulletproof windows and reinforced walls and floors to protect against explosives, according to Seoul’s unification ministry.
“It is equipped with attack weapons and a helicopter for escape in case of emergency,” the ministry said, adding that due to the weight of the extra equipment the vehicle moves at only around 60 kilometres per hour.
However, despite the slowness, the train has key advantages over an aircraft offering more flexibility in unforeseen circumstances, including attacks.
To bolster on-board security measures, Pyongyang has in the past asked for guards to be deployed along the tracks, as it did for Kim’s 2019 Hanoi visit.
Does Kim Jong Un ever fly?
Kim Jong Un has made seven previous overseas trips, four to China and one each to Russia, Vietnam and Singapore. The trips to Vietnam and Singapore were for holding summits with former US President Donald Trump.
Kim’s private plane, which flew him to China in 2018, is known as “Chammae-1” after the national bird of North Korea, and is a Cold War-era Russian-made Ilyushin-62.
The “Chammae-1” flew to Singapore in 2018 when Kim was heading to the city to meet Trump, but the North Korean leader was not on board. Instead, he flew on an Air China 747 provided by Beijing, Pyongyang’s most important ally.
According to flight tracking website Flightradar24, the plane took off using flight number CA122, a standard designation for the airline’s route from Pyongyang to Beijing. In mid-air, it changed its call sign to CA061 and headed south.
Other Leaders Who Took train
Several other leaders have taken to trains including US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Putin’s train is heavily armoured, the doors and windows are bulletproof and is equipped with life-saving medical equipment and facilities. The Russian President has increased the usage of the vehicle since 2022, when Russia started the invasion of Ukraine.
The train, made in 2018 to travel in comfort and secrecy, hosts a range of facilities including a fully equipped gym or “sports-health wagon,” a massage parlour with “anti-aging machines,” a fully-equipped Turkish bath steam room, lush bedrooms and ornate dining cars.
Joe Biden, took a train Poland to Kyiv, days before the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion in February this year. In his first visit to the war-torn country Biden took a 10-hour night journey from Poland in a carriage now known as “Rail Force One”.
The entire plan of rail travel was kept in secret and there were intense preparations, including coordination with Biden’s security teams and it began only few weeks before the trip.
(With inputs from agencies)
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