Officials haven’t confirmed that Kim Jong Un visited Beijing, but if he did, his ride there likely included plenty of bling, experts say
From the outside, the train that has prompted speculation of a surprise visit to China by North Korea leader Kim Jong Un doesn’t look all that exciting.
It’s painfully slow-moving, and drab green with yellow piping that runs along the side.
But inside — if the distinctive train that pulled into Beijing on Tuesday is indeed the same one used by Kim’s father, as many believe it to be — there’s a lot of bling aboard.
«It had a reputation for being an opulent ride for the leader. It maintains the North Korea leader’s lifestyle wherever he goes,» said Curtis Melvin, a researcher at the U. S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies . «It is capable of carrying the type of food and entertainment to support the leader as he travels.»
For Kim’s father and predecessor, Kim Jong Il, that meant live lobsters, wine shipped in from Paris, and four young female singers who were reportedly referred to as the «lady conductors.»
State media has not confirmed that Kim Jong Un was the mystery guest aboard the train that arrived in Beijing, although Bloomberg News, citing three unnamed sources with knowledge of the visit, reported that it was him. There was also speculation that it might be Kim’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, who recently showed off her high profile at the PyeongChang Olympics.
It’s also not clear what the interior of the train might look like these days. Past glimpses of it, however, during Kim Jong Il’s regime revealed it to be a party train on the inside and a massively secure form of transportation on the outside.
The train has tinted windows, and according to a 2009 South Korea news report based off of classified information about how Kim Jong Il traveled, is heavily armored. It’s also accompanied by many security personnel.
«To defend Kim against attack, two separate trains precede and follow the main entourage, one handling reconnaissance and the other security,» South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo said of Kim Jong Il’s travels. «The advance train handles security checks to see whether the rail tracks are safe.
