North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has crossed into China on his special train to attend Beijing’s military parade commemorating the end of World War II, North Korean state media reported.
Rodong Sinmun published photos of Kim with senior officials, including Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui, boarding his armoured train as it departed Pyongyang on Monday.
South Korean media later confirmed the train’s arrival in the Chinese border city of Dandong before heading to Beijing.
The visit marks Kim’s first trip to China since 2019 and his fifth overall since taking power in 2011.
Kim is scheduled to attend Wednesday’s parade alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The event could highlight the three leaders’ shared opposition to the United States, although no trilateral summit has been confirmed.
Putin arrived in China on Sunday for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit as well as the parade.
Kremlin officials said a possible meeting with Kim was "under consideration."
North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency said Kim’s trip reflects the country’s "strategic solidarity" with China and Russia.
North Korea has become increasingly vocal on global issues, issuing statements on conflicts in the Middle East and the Taiwan Strait while framing itself as part of a united front with Beijing and Moscow against Washington.
For Kim, the Beijing trip is also a rare appearance at a multilateral event, his first since taking office.
The visit comes as US President Donald Trump and South Korea’s new liberal president, Lee Jae Myung, have expressed interest in restarting nuclear talks with Pyongyang.
Negotiations have been stalled since Kim’s 2019 summit with Trump collapsed in Hanoi.
