North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un Rides A Armored Train To China

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un left Pyongyang on Monday afternoon on his special armored train, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Leader Kim is set to fulfill the invitation to a military parade in Beijing, commemorating the "Day of Victory" in World War II which marked Japan's surrender on September 3.

"Kim left Pyongyang by train this afternoon and is currently on his way," the source said.

The train carrying leader Kim is expected to cross North Korea-Chinese borders at night and arrive in Beijing the next day. Travel from Pyongyang to Beijing by train usually takes 20 to 24 hours.

Russian leader Kim and President Vladimir Putin will be among the leaders of countries from 26 foreign countries who attended a military parade in Beijing on Wednesday.

This will be the first time for Kim, who came to power in late 2011, to attend multilateral diplomatic events. His grandfather and founder of North Korea, Kim Il-sung, attended a military parade in Beijing in 1959.

Leader Kim's presence at the military parade is likely to be a stage for the meeting of the first three parties with President Putin and President of China, Xi Jinping.

In the upcoming parade, Leader Kim will sit to the left of President Xi, while President Putin will sit to the right of President Xi, according to a Russian report, citing a Kremlin official.

The three leaders can also hold a trilateral summit on the sidelines of the meeting, which if held, will mark the first meeting of leaders of the three countries with close ties since the Cold War, since the end of the war.

Kim's decision to attend a military parade shows he aims to restore a traditionally strong relationship with China, which has been strained by Pyongyang's recent alignment with Moscow.

Experts assess that North Korea appears to have chosen leader Kim's trip to China to anticipate the end of the Russia-Ukraine war, which could shift Moscow's focus to the west, away from Pyongyang.

Several also argue that Leader Kim may have chosen to attend the military parade to take advantage of North Korea's closer ties to China to strengthen its bargaining position ahead of the possible resumption of negotiations with the United States.