North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrived in Beijing on Tuesday aboard his signature green armored train, a slow but specialized mode of transport used by the reclusive nation’s leaders for decades.
According to experts, compared to North Korea’s aging fleet of passenger aircraft, the bulletproof train offers a safer and more comfortable environment. It accommodates Kim’s large entourage, security personnel, food, and other amenities, while also providing space to discuss agendas before meetings. Since assuming leadership in late 2011, Kim has used the train for international visits to China, Vietnam, and Russia.
**What’s Inside the Train?**
The exact number of trains used by North Korean leaders over the years remains unclear. However, South Korean transportation expert Ahn Byung-min notes that multiple trains are employed for security reasons. Each train typically consists of 10 to 15 carriages, some reserved exclusively for the leader, including a bedroom. Other carriages house security guards and medical staff.
Ahn explains that the trains are equipped with Kim’s office, communication systems, a restaurant, and a dedicated space for transporting two armored Mercedes vehicles. On Tuesday, North Korean state media released images showing Kim taking a cigarette break next to a green carriage adorned with golden emblems and intricate designs, accompanied by senior officials. Another image depicted him in a wood-paneled office with a large golden emblem and North Korean flags on either side.
Kim’s desk was furnished with a gold-plated laptop, several telephones, a pack of cigarettes, and a bottle containing blue or clear liquid. The carriage windows were adorned with blue and gold curtains. In 2018, North Korean state television footage showed Kim meeting top Chinese officials in a spacious carriage lined with pink sofas. In 2020, state TV footage captured Kim traveling to a typhoon-affected area in a carriage decorated with flower-shaped lighting and zebra-printed chairs.
In the 2002 book *Orient Express*, Russian official Konstantin Pulikovsky described a three-week journey to Moscow by Kim Jong Un’s father, Kim Jong Il. The train was stocked with Bordeaux and Beaujolais wines flown in from Paris, along with live lobsters
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