▲ This file photo shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un aboard his special armoured train. (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)

(3rd LD) NK leader-China

(3rd LD) N. Korea's Kim departs for Beijing by train: sources

(ATTN: RECASTS headline, lead; UPDATES throughout)

By Park Boram

SEOUL, Sept. 1 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un departed Pyongyang on Monday afternoon aboard his special armored train, a source familiar with the matter said, with Kim expected to make his debut on the multilateral diplomatic stage at a military parade in Beijing.

"Kim left Pyongyang aboard a train this afternoon and is currently en route," the source said.

Kim's train is expected to cross the North Korea-China border overnight and arrive in Beijing the following day. The journey from Pyongyang to Beijing by train typically takes 20 to 24 hours.

Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin will be among state leaders from 26 foreign countries attending the military parade in Beijing on Wednesday to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, which China commemorates as victory over Japan.

It will be the first time for Kim, who assumed power in late 2011, to attend a multilateral diplomatic event. His grandfather and the North's founder Kim Il-sung attended a military parade in Beijing in 1959.

Kim's presence at the military parade would possibly set the stage for the first three-way meeting with Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

In the forthcoming parade, Kim will be seated on Xi's left, while Putin will be seated to the right of Xi, a Russian report has said, citing a Kremlin official.

Kim, Xi and Putin could also hold a trilateral summit on the sidelines, which, if held, would mark the first meeting of the leaders of the three countries with close ties dating back to the Cold War, since the end of the war.

Kim's attendance at the Chinese event comes after South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump expressed eagerness to resume diplomacy with Kim in their high-stakes summit in Washington last week.

Kim's rare presence at the military parade and the potential trilateral summit with Xi and Putin could signal that he is not interested in engaging in diplomacy with Seoul or Washington.

The military parade also comes as the United States pushes to "modernize" its alliances, including with South Korea, in an effort to build a joint front to counter China's growing global influence.

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.

Kim's 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.

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 have opted to attend the military parade to leverage North Korea's closer relations with China to strengthen its bargaining position ahead of a potential resumption of negotiations with the U.S.

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