Mystery train reportedly carrying Kim Jong Un leaves Beijing for North Korea
Security in China’s capital has returned to normal after the rumored surprise visit from North Korea’s supreme leader
Just as suddenly as it arrived, a mysterious green train has left Beijing, heading back to Pyongyang.
The special, high-security train pulled into the Beijing railway station yesterday and was met by an honor guard and a line of VIP cars. A large motorcade was then spotted speeding through emptied streets in the Chinese capital on Monday evening.
The train looks similar to the one that Kim Jong Il used to ride when visiting China, fueling speculation that Kim Jong Un had arrived in Beijing on what would be his first-ever trip to a foreign country as North Korea’s leader.
Earlier today, the train pulled out of Beijing and the South China Morning Post reports that security at the railway station and around the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse has subsequently returned back to normal.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry has yet to confirm that Kim paid Beijing a visit. While three sources told Bloomberg that the train was carrying the North Korean supreme leader, South Korean media has reported that the train’s VIP passenger was in fact Kim’s sister, Kim Yo-jong.
“It wasn’t his sister, it was Kim himself,” yet another source told SCMP.
The alleged visit comes after Donald Trump announced his willingness earlier this month to meet with Kim Jong Un in what would be an unprecedented summit after South Korean officials said that Kim was willing to discuss finally giving up his country’s nuclear weapons ambitions.
The North Korean side has yet to confirm that Kim is willing to attend such a summit, however, it seems clear that if one does happen, then China does not want to be left out and may even hope to host the historic meeting.
In recent years, China-North Korea relations have become increasingly strained thanks to Pyongyang’s continued pursuit of nuclear weapons. China has responded by slapping a number of different UN-backed sanctions on its tiny neighbor, doing damage to the Hermit Kingdom’s economy, though it remains obvious that Beijing still has no interest in seeing Kim’s regime fall. A collapse that could see US troops arriving back on its border.
