North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has travelled to Beijing to join his Chinese and Russian counterparts at a military parade which is being seen as a show of unity against the US.
Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin are among 26 world leaders joining the Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Wednesday for the parade to mark 80 years since the end of the Second World War and China’s fight against Japanese aggression.
It will be Kim’s first appearance at a major multilateral event in his 14 years in power, and the first time he, Xi and Putin, all key challengers of the US, have gathered in the same place.
None of the three countries has confirmed a private meeting between them.
North Korea’s state news agency (KCNA) said on Tuesday that Kim Jong Un left Pyongyang for Beijing by special train on Monday to attend the celebrations.
He is travelling with senior officials, including Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui, according to KCNA.
In a closed-door briefing to lawmakers, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service said Kim’s train entered China early on Tuesday and was expected to reach Beijing later in the afternoon.
