Kim Jong-un will stand "side by side" with his Chinese and Russian counterparts, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin in China
SEOUL — North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will stand "side by side" with his Chinese and Russian counterparts, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, at the upcoming military parade in China this week, Seoul's spy agency said on Tuesday.
Aboard his private train, Kim crossed the North Korea-China border at dawn and is en route to Beijing, where he is expected to arrive late in the afternoon, lawmakers told reporters, quoting the National Intelligence Service's (NIS) closed-door briefing.
"Kim will demonstrate trilateral solidarity by standing side by side with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin during Wednesday's military parade at Tiananmen Square," the NIS was quoted as saying.
Earlier in the day, the North's Korean Central News Agency reported that Kim departed Pyongyang on Monday to participate in China's celebrations of the 80th anniversary of "victory" over Japan's surrender and the end of World War II.
The train journey from Pyongyang to Beijing is expected to take about 20 hours.
Kim's attendance at the military parade, which will bring together state leaders from 26 foreign countries, will mark his debut on the multilateral diplomatic stage.
The NIS assessed that Kim's trip is aimed at "expanding his room to maneuver by restoring North Korea-China relations and securing China's economic assistance to buoy his regime."
Accompanying Kim on the trip to China are Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui; Hyon Song-wol, a party vice director; and Kim Song-nam, director of the international department of the ruling party, according to the NIS. His wife, Ri Sol-ju, and his sister, Kim Yo-jong, may also be part of the entourage, the NIS said.
On the sidelines of the military parade, Kim is "highly likely" to hold separate summits with Xi and Putin, but the likelihood of a trilateral summit among them is considered low, the NIS assessed.
The agency also said there are "low" chances that National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik, who will represent South Korea at the event, will secure any "meaningful" meeting with Kim.
Since October last year, North Korea has sent around 13,000 troops and conventional weapons to support Russia's war efforts. The NIS increased its estimate of deaths among the dispatched North Korean troops to around 2,000.
Marking the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea on October 10, the North is preparing its own large-scale military parade, mobilising some 10,000 people, which may include the return of a mass gymnastics show after five years, according to the NIS.