Sept. 1 (UPI) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un departed Pyongyang on Monday to attend a military parade in Beijing to celebrate victory over the Axis powers 80 years ago.
Kim began the 24-hour trip aboard an armored train Monday evening and will be the first North Korean leader to attend a parade in China since his grandfather made a similar journey in 1959.
Kim will join Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other world leaders to attend the event, the BBC reported on Monday.
Kim will stand with Xi and Putin at the Tiananmen rostrum during the military parade that celebrates the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, according to The Korea Herald.
North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui and other senior government and party officials accompanied Kim to Beijing.
Other world leaders scheduled to attend the Beijing parade include those from Iran, Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam.
No leaders from Western nations will attend due to the Ukraine War, the BBC reported.
The event is scheduled to include tens of thousands of military personnel marching in formation during the 70-minute parade.
The trip is the ninth foreign visit undertaken by Kim since 2018, including a 2019 trip to Hanoi, Vietnam, to meet with President Donald Trump.
The North Korean leader could have opted for a one-hour plane trip to Beijing but chose the use his private train, which has bulletproof windows and is designed to withstand mortar attacks.
Kim’s father also traveled by private armored train due to a fear of flying, according to the BBC.