Possible reasons for Kim Jong-un's visit to China at this time
South Korean and US intelligence agencies are trying to verify whether a special train that departed from North Korea and stopped at Beijing station carried North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during a surprise visit to the neighboring country.
The special train is said to be reserved only for high-ranking North Korean leaders on official trips. Photo: Daily Star
Special train
Bloomberg, citing Japanese media sources on March 26, said that a special North Korean train apparently carrying a high-ranking North Korean official crossed the Chinese city of Dandong yesterday afternoon. A sign was placed at Dandong station apparently to prevent passersby from seeing the train crossing the bridge connecting Dandong with the North Korean city of Sinuiju.
Hotels around the bridge have reportedly stopped taking reservations for rooms facing North Korea, to avoid visitors seeing the train.
The train is painted green with yellow horizontal stripes, similar to the train used during late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's trips to China or Russia.
Videos circulating on social media later showed a car with North Korean diplomatic plates picking up and transporting the passenger away under tight security from Chinese police.
Another diplomatic source told Reuters that security had been stepped up at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, where senior foreign officials stay when visiting Beijing.
Source of Japanese news agencyKyodo NewsAlso said, a car with a North Korean Foreign Ministry license plate was seen in the Great Hall of the People area in Beijing yesterday.
Who can sit on the train?
Mr. Kim Jong-un (in black) and his sister Kim Yo-jong. Photo: KCNA
Details of the train and surrounding security have fueled speculation about the important guest on board the train to China. Some diplomatic sources in Beijing said the guest on the train appeared to be North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. However, this information has not been confirmed.
“This was a complete surprise to us,” said Curtis Melvin, an analyst at the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University. “To my knowledge, this ship has not been to China since Kim Jong-un took power.”
Michael Madden, an expert on North Korean leadership, said that only members of the Kim family are allowed to travel on such special trains.
“Many other senior North Korean officials would likely use private jets and not attract any attention in North Korea,” Mr. Madden said.
This expert believes that the person on the special train to Beijing could be North Korean leader Kim Jong-un or his sister Kim Yo-Jong, First Deputy Director of the Propaganda and Agitation Department of the Workers' Party of Korea.
Kim Yo-jong's role emerged recently after she was part of a high-level North Korean delegation that visited South Korea, conducting historic talks between the two sides and paving the way for US-North Korea talks.
North Korea has yet to comment on the speculation surrounding the North Korean leader’s surprise visit to China. Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Beijing was “unaware” of the information.
Speculation about the purpose of the visit
If confirmed, this would be Kim Jong-un's first visit to China since taking power in 2011. Illustration photo: National Interest.
If confirmed, this would be Kim Jong-un's first visit to China and his first foreign trip since taking power. The visit comes shortly after North Korea and South Korea agreed to hold a summit in April, and the US-North Korea summit is also expected to take place in late May after US President Donald Trump accepted Kim Jong-un's invitation.
While speculation remains about the passenger on the North Korean train to China, observers have begun to assess the purpose of the visit.
“North Korea seems to want to reaffirm its relationship with China,” said Yoo Ho-yeol, a professor of North Korean studies at Korea University.
“If North Korea directly talks to the US, they (North Korea) may feel weak, but if they have China as an ally, they can protect their interests in the summits,” the expert added.
MagazineNational InterestCiting the comments of Mr. Robert Collins, a veteran advisor to the Pentagon, also said that Mr. Kim Jong-un needs support behind him before the talks with the US and South Korea.
On the other hand, this expert also believes that the fact that Mr. Kim Jong-un is said to have visited China before two important summits shows Beijing's influence on Pyongyang.
