North Korea's Kim Jong Un arrives in Beijing for military parade alongside Putin and Xi

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrived in Beijing by train on Tuesday to attend a military parade with his Chinese and Russian counterparts, an event that observers say could potentially demonstrate three-way unity against the United States. Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin are among the 26 world leaders who will join China's President Xi Jinping at Wednesday's massive military parade in Beijing that commemorates the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and China's fight against Japan's wartime aggressions. It's set to be Kim's first time attending a major multilateral event during his 14-year rule, and the first time Kim, Xi and Putin, all key rivals of the U.S., have gathered at the same venue. None of the three countries have confirmed a private trilateral leaders' meeting. North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency said Kim was greeted at Beijing railway station by senior Chinese officials. Kim was cited as saying he was pleased to visit China and expressing thanks to Xi and his government for their cordial hospitality. According to KCNA photos, Kim's delegation at the Beijing station includes his young daughter, who South Korean intelligence officials view as his likely heir. Since 2022, she has frequently accompanied her father on a slew of major events including missile tests, with state media calling her Kim's "most beloved" or "respected" child. KCNA earlier said senior officials including Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui were traveling with Kim, but didn't mention the girl, reportedly named Kim Ju Ae and aged about 13. Bilateral meetings In a closed-door briefing to lawmakers earlier Tuesday, South Korea's National Intelligence Service said that Kim will likely receive special protocol and security measures on par with those given to Putin, according to Lee Seong Kweun, a lawmaker who attended the meeting. The spy agency said Kim may stand alongside Xi and Putin on the rostrum at Tiananmen Square during Wednesday's parade, and anticipated that he will hold bilateral meetings with the Chinese and Russian leaders and interact with other heads of state at a reception and cultural performance as he seeks to further break out of isolation and expand his diplomatic footing, Lee said. It is Kim's first visit to China since 2019, and the fifth visit in total since he inherited power upon his father's death in late 2011. Putin arrived in China on Sunday to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a regional summit, as well as the Beijing parade. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told Russia's Tass news agency on Sunday that a meeting between Putin and Kim on the sidelines was "under consideration." North Korea observers are paying keen attention to Kim possibly meeting Xi bilaterally as well and holding even a trilateral meeting with Xi and Putin. The three leaders have met bilaterally previously but have yet to hold a trilateral meeting. Kim wants to restore strong China ties North Korea's foreign policy priority has been Russia in recent years as it has been supplying troops and ammunition to support Moscow's war against Ukraine in exchange for economic and military assistance. According to South Korean assessments, North Korea has sent around 15,000 troops to Russia since last year. In its latest briefing to lawmakers, the South Korean spy agency said it believes roughly 2,000 of them have so far died in combat, Lee said. Kim has also agreed to additionally send thousands of military construction workers and deminers to Russia's Kursk region, and the agency assesses that the first 1,000 are already in Russia, Lee said. North Korea's relations with China have reportedly turned sour in recent years, but experts say Kim likely hopes to restore ties as China is North Korea's biggest trading partner and aid benefactor and he would want to brace for the end of the Russia-Ukraine war. Kim is also developing partnerships Since aligning with Russia, North Korea has become more vocal in international affairs beyond the Korean Peninsula, issuing diplomatic statements on conflicts in the Middle East and in the Taiwan Strait, while portraying itself as a part of a united front against Washington. Some experts say Kim's presence at the multilateral event in Beijing is part of efforts to develop partnerships with other nations close to China and Russia. Kim's trip comes as U.S., President Donald Trump and new liberal South Korean President Lee Jae Myung have repeatedly expressed their hopes to restart talks with North Korea. North Korea has been shunning talks with the U.S. and South Korea and pushing to expand its nuclear and missile arsenals since Kim's earlier round of diplomacy with Trump collapsed in 2019. Before departing for China on Monday, Kim visited a North Korean missile research institute to review progress on developing a new engine for a "next-generation" intercontinental ballistic missile, KCNA reported. The North in recent years has tested various versions of ICBMs capable of reaching the U.S. mainland, and analysts say the next-generation ICBM likely refers to a long-range weapon with multiple nuclear warheads that can defeat U.S. missile defense systems.