▲ These photos (from L to R) of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un are published by Xinhua News Agency, Tass and the Korean Central News Agency, respectively. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
▲ Citizens at Seoul Station watch China's military parade on a television on Sept. 3, 2025. (Yonhap)

(3rd LD) NK leader-military parade

(3rd LD) N. Korea's Kim joins Putin, Xi for military parade, marking 1st such meeting in 66 years

(ATTN: UPDATES throughout; CHANGES headline; ADDS photo)

By Park Boram

BEIJING/SEOUL, Sept. 3 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un joined Russia's Vladimir Putin and China's Xi Jinping, among other leaders, at a military parade in Beijing Wednesday, marking the first such meeting among leaders of Pyongyang, Moscow and Beijing in 66 years.

The spectacle of Kim standing with Putin and Xi at the viewing gallery of Tiananmen Square displayed their defiance against the West.

Wearing a black suit and a gold-colored tie, Kim slowly walked into Tiananmen Square's red-carpeted main entrance ahead of the event.

Xi subsequently welcomed him into the square, shaking hands with him alongside other state leaders arriving at the venue, including Putin, before moving toward the rostrum.

Putin walked on Xi's right while Kim walked on his left, occasionally talking to him with smiles.

The three then arrived at the rostrum side by side, sharing conversations in a historic moment that displays solidarity among China, Russia and North Korea.

It marks the first time leaders of the three socialist countries have come together in 66 years, since North Korean founder Kim Il-sung, Chinese founder Mao Zedong and former Soviet Union Prime Minister Nikita Khrushchev jointly attended a similar military parade in 1959 at the square.

The military parade kicked off at 9 a.m. (local time) at Tiananmen Square, marking the 80th anniversary of what China celebrates as its victory over Japan and the end of World War II, and featuring displays of its latest weaponry and marching troops.

(END)

[ⓒ K-VIBE. 무단전재-재배포 금지]