Kim Jong Un’s armored train: The dictator’s alternative to flying.
Kim Jong Un’s Luxurious Armored Train
For his first foreign trip in over four years, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appears to be using what seems like his favorite mode of international transport: a luxurious armored train.
South Korean officials told the Yonhap News Agency that Kim’s train had departed Pyongyang for what is assumed to be Vladivostok, a Russian port city in its far east. He is expected to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and they will likely discuss North Korean weapons shipments to help Russia’s war effort in Ukraine. Given Kim’s fear of assassination plots, the regime prefers to travel in a special armored train, though Kim has flown on previous occasions, including for his famous summit with former President Donald Trump.
The Tradition Continues
The founding father of North Korea, Kim Il Sung, traveled by train out of necessity during the Korean War and continued the habit after the war ended. His son and successor took up the practice due to his fear of flying, and Kim Jong Un continued the tradition, likely over security concerns.
Due to North Korean secrecy, all that is known about the train comes from scant reports from a select few, primarily Russian diplomats, who have traveled in the train and intelligence reports. The armored train likely used by Kim Jong Un, inherited from his father, is of Soviet origin and has heavy modifications. Russian diplomat Georgy Toloraya said that Russian technicians surveying the train in 2001 discovered armored sheets inserted beneath the two main railcars, the Washington Post reported.
A Glimpse Inside
A 2009 report from Chosun Ilbo, citing American and South Korean intelligence, said the train contained 90 carriages. It boasts conference rooms, an audience chamber, bedrooms, specialized carriages for carrying two armored Mercedes cars, and plentiful food and alcohol stocks. It travels with two other trains, one in front and the other behind, carrying a small army of bodyguards and support personnel.
Former Russian official Konstantin Pulikovsky wrote in his book Orient Express that during a trip aboard the train with Kim Jong Il, passengers were able to order any dish from “Russian, Chinese, Korean, Japanese and French cuisine,” in addition to specially imported wine. Young women singers keep passengers entertained.
A Slow and Steady Journey
Aside from the luxurious conditions inside, the train is known for its plodding speed. Despite Vladivostok being located just 300 miles from the North Korean border, the journey is expected to take 20 hours, the Washington Post reported. Its max speed is just 37 miles per hour. In comparison, the standard American Amtrak Acela travels at around 150 miles per hour.
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