Kim Jong Un in China: Why does the North Korean leader prefer train for his journeys?

When North Korean leader Kim Jong Un steps out of his country, the world takes notice.

His latest trip to Beijing, where he is expected to attend a military parade alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin, is no exception. He is arrived in the Chinese capital on Tuesday, South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency said.

But it isn’t just the rare appearance that grabs attention, it’s how he gets there. Unlike most world leaders who hop on a jet, the North Korean leader prefers a slower, old-fashioned but heavily fortified train.

The sight of this green-and-yellow armoured carriage rolling across borders has become a familiar ritual since Kim took power in 2011, echoing the habits of his father and grandfather before him.

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Inside, the train is said to be fitted with everything from luxury interiors to secure meeting rooms, designed to keep the leader safe while doubling as a moving office.

But why does Kim choose the rails over the skies? And just how secure is this mysterious “fortress on wheels”? Here’s what we know.

Why does Kim Jong Un travel by train?

For most world leaders, flying is the natural choice, it’s quick, efficient, and secure. But Kim Jong Un has stuck firmly to the tradition of travelling by train, and there are several reasons behind this.

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One is family history. Kim’s father, Kim Jong Il, and his grandfather, Kim Il Sung, were both reportedly afraid of flying. South Korean media has long speculated that this fear dates back to 1982, when the two witnessed an explosion during a test flight of their jet.

Four years later, Kim Il Sung made his last known trip abroad by air to the Soviet Union, and after that, North Korean leaders largely gave up on flying altogether, according to the Associated Press.

Kim Jong Il, in particular, was famous for shunning planes altogether. Instead, he travelled to China and Russia exclusively by armoured train. His most extreme journey came in 2001, when he undertook a mammoth 20,000-kilometre round trip from Pyongyang to Moscow. The journey took about 24 days.

Even at the very end, he never abandoned his trains, official North Korean accounts say he was on board one during a “field guidance” trip in 2011 when he died of a heart attack.

Beyond family habits, there’s also the question of safety.

North Korea’s leaders have long relied on the slow but fortified rail network that has served them for decades. Compared to the country’s ageing fleet of aircraft, an armoured train offers far more security and comfort.

There’s also a strategic advantage. If an aircraft were attacked mid-flight, the chances of survival would be slim. A train, while slower, gives Kim a better chance of survival and makes his movements harder to predict. Routes can be changed, stops can be adjusted, and the exact timing of his arrival is rarely publicised.

Inside Kim’s ‘Fortress on wheels’

North Korea’s armoured train, known as the Taeyangho or “moving fortress,” is designed with security as its top priority.

Each train reportedly carries 10 to 15 carriages, all reinforced with bulletproof siding to protect the North Korean leader. For security reasons, multiple trains are often used.

Ahn Byung-min, a South Korean expert on North Korean transportation, previously told The Independent that one train usually runs ahead to conduct security checks, while another follows with bodyguards and other personnel.

Inside, the train is fitted with Kim’s office, advanced communications systems, a restaurant, and even car carriages to transport armoured Mercedes vehicles, Ahn added.

Also read: Bulletproof carriages and more: Kim Jong Un's train on which he travelled to Russia

Security measures extend far beyond the train itself, around 100 agents are dispatched to sweep stations en route for explosives.

Reports also mention military helicopters and planes providing aerial cover, while The Guardian noted that power to the surrounding tracks is shut down as the train approaches a station. The train also travels in secrecy, with tinted windows that obscure the view from the outside.

All of this protection comes at a cost to speed. With its heavy armour, the train moves at just 60 kilometres per hour, according to Yonhap News, taking about 20 hours to cover the distance to Beijing. That’s far slower compared with London’s high-speed rail at 200 km/h or Japan’s Shinkansen bullet trains, which reach up to 320 km/h.

A palace in motion

Beyond security, Kim’s train is also a showcase of luxury.

In the 2002 book “Orient Express”, Russian official Konstantin Pulikovsky described a three-week journey to Moscow by Kim Jong Il, Kim Jong Un’s father

In that train, cases of Bordeaux and Beaujolais wine were flown in from Paris, as were live lobsters, according to the book. “It was possible to order any dish of Russian, Chinese, Korean, Japanese and French cuisine,” he wrote

“Even Putin’s private train did not have the comfort of Kim Jong Il’s train,” Pulikovsky was quoted as saying by the BBC.

That tradition of luxury has continued. In 2020, state TV footage revealed Kim Jong Un aboard a train visiting a typhoon-hit area, offering a rare look inside a carriage decorated with flower-shaped lighting and zebra-print chairs.

Apart from the food and wine, the train also offers all of the comforts of home. It is outfitted with conference rooms panelled in dark wood, as well as multiple bedrooms, satellite phones and flatscreen televisions. There are plush pink leather armchairs to provide comfortable seating on the train.

Has Kim Jong Un ever flown?

Unlike his predecessors, Kim Jong Un doesn’t appear to suffer from a fear of flying. While his father and grandfather clung to the rails, he has shown he can and will use planes when necessary.

Since taking power, Kim has made seven overseas trips: four to China and one each to Russia, Vietnam, and Singapore. The meetings in Vietnam and Singapore were particularly notable, as they were high-stakes summits with US President Donald Trump.

Kim does have his own private aircraft, the “Chammae-1,” a Cold War–era Ilyushin-62 named after North Korea’s national bird. In 2018, it was used to fly him to China.

Yet when he travelled to Singapore that same year for his much-anticipated summit with Trump, the Chammae-1 made the journey, but without him. Instead, Kim flew on an Air China 747, courtesy of Beijing, Pyongyang’s closest ally.

So yes, Kim does fly. But his love for trains, with all their secrecy and spectacle, remains unmatched.

With inputs from agencies