It was a visit most unusual. In an age when luxurious air travel by country heads is routine, the visitor from Pyongyang, Kim Jong-un, transited in his private train for his maiden trip to Beijing. By choosing the train option, the North Korean leader appeared to have inherited his father Kim Jong-il’s aversion for air travel, probably born out of a fear of a staged air crash. In 2001, the senior Kim had travelled all the way by train to Moscow, covering his marathon outing in nine days. It is not surprising that the train took so much time to reach the Russian capital. Apart from the vast distance, the train, customised for North Korea’s top leader, travelled at a languid 60 km an hour. To some extent, the heavy-armoured plating that is used for bulletproofing the carriages explained its glacial pace.
Partly, the preference for the rails could also be in tune with a signature family tradition. The elder Kim’s father, Kim Il-sung, the founder of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), once travelled all the way by rail to Eastern Europe, crossing several time zones and distinct landscapes — including the permafrost of Siberia — en route. In accordance with tradition, the departure of North Korean leaders for their foreign visits has always remained a top secret. Information about the leader’s travel is only released once he is securely back in Pyongyang. But unlike the trips of his elders, Mr. Kim’s four-day journey to Beijing, beginning on March 25, could hardly be kept under wraps.
When Mr. Kim’s train pulled up at Beijing railway station, it did not take long before pictures of the deep-green carriages with their distinct yellow piping went viral on social networks. Japanese media then quickly spread the word that a top ranking figure from North Korea, probably Mr. Kim himself, or perhaps his celebrated sister, Kim Yo-jong, had arrived in the Chinese capital.
The ultra-high security in Beijing was another giveaway of the high profile visit. Tiananmen Square was emptied, to allow Mr. Kim to visit the nearby Great Hall of the People, where a grand ceremonial reception awaited him. This was followed by talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Later, the North Korean leader and his wife Ri Sol-ju were feted to a lavish banquet. During the course of the ceremonial dinner, Mr. Kim and President Xi toasted over cups of Maotai — the Chinese liquor made famous during former U.S. President Richard Nixon’s visit to Beijing in 1972.
Regime survival
There is much speculation about the purpose of the visit. Among Beijing’s intelligentsia, there is a perception that Mr. Kim wanted to convey his readiness to shed his nuclear weapons. In return, he wanted China to ensure “regime survival” by offering Pyongyang iron-clad security guarantees.
“The only solution being talked about that can break this impasse on North Korea would be if China or Russia or both were to offer their nuclear umbrellas to the DPRK as assurances for Mr. Kim’s government, in exchange for Pyongyang giving up its nuclear weapons,” said Einar Tangen, a Beijing-based commentator, in a conversation with The Hindu .
After the visit, Mr. Kim was back on his train for Pyongyang. He was seen cheerfully waving at the bevy of black-suited officials who had come to see him off. From Dandong station — the last before the train crossed the Yalu river and entered the ‘Hermit Kingdom’ — Mr. Kim sent a message of greetings to President Xi, thanking him for what might have been a path-breaking visit.
Atul Aneja works for The Hindu and is based in Beijing
