▲ North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (R) shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping during their summit meeting in Pyongyang on June 20, 2019, in this file photo published by the Korean Central News Agency. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
▲ These photos (from L to R) of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin are published by the Korean Central News Agency, Xinhua News Agency and Tass, respectively. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
▲ This image of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (C) at an office inside his private train is captured from the website of the Korean Central News Agency on Sept. 2, 2025. Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui is seated to Kim's right. The agency reported that Kim departed for Beijing the previous day to attend China's event marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

NK leader-Russia-China

N. Korea's Kim set to attend military parade in Beijing, alongside Putin, Xi Jinping

By Park Boram

SEOUL, Sept. 2 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is poised to appear shoulder to shoulder with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping at a military parade in Beijing this week, joining a group of other leaders on the multilateral diplomatic stage amid rising geopolitical and trade tensions.

This will be the first time in 66 years that the top leaders of North Korea, Russia and China -- countries with historical ties dating back to the Cold War -- will appear at the same venue.

Aboard his private armored train, Kim departed Pyongyang on Monday for Beijing and crossed into China early Tuesday to attend Wednesday's military parade in Tiananmen Square marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, which China commemorates as its victory over Japan.

Kim will be seated to Xi's left, with Putin on Xi's right, according to Russian news reports, as heads of state from 26 foreign countries review the military parade showcasing China's latest weaponry and troops marching in formation.

Having assumed power in late 2011, Kim has not yet appeared at a multilateral diplomatic event so far. The last time a North Korean leader attended a Chinese military parade was in 1959, when his grandfather and the North's founder, Kim Il-sung, did.

Kim's presence at the military parade could set the stage for a three-way summit with Xi and Putin on the sidelines, which, if held, would mark their first meeting and could signal strengthened trilateral collaboration, in sharp contrast to the growing security partnership of South Korea, the United States and Japan.

President Lee Jae Myung held back-to-back summits last month with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and U.S. President Donald Trump, reaffirming trilateral cooperation to counter shared threats.

The Kim-Xi-Putin gathering also comes as Washington pushes to "modernize" its alliances, including with South Korea, in an effort to build a united front to counter China's growing global influence and its hegemonic ambitions.

Kim's rare decision to attend the military parade suggests he aims to restore traditionally strong ties with China, which had been strained by Pyongyang's recent alignment with Moscow.

With bilateral summits and the signing of a mutual defense treaty last year, Kim and Putin have deepened military ties, leading to Pyongyang's deployment of troops and weapons to support Moscow's war against Ukraine.

Experts assessed that North Korea appears to have chosen Kim's trip to China in anticipation of the Russia-Ukraine war's conclusion, which could shift Moscow's focus westward, away from Pyongyang.

Some also suggest that Kim may be seeking to recover relations with China in a bid to leverage them to strengthen his bargaining position ahead of a potential resumption of negotiations with the U.S.

Observers say that Xi's demonstration of solidarity with North Korea, Russia and other participating countries during the military parade could signal the possible start of a "new Cold War."

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