Overview

• Kim traveled by armored special train and reached Beijing on Sept. 2 to attend the Sept. 3 commemoration at Xi Jinping’s invitation, with a meeting with Xi expected and a Putin meeting reported as possible.
• North Korean state TV has been lauding personnel sent to aid Russia in Ukraine, including accounts of suicide attacks, as South Korea’s intelligence agency now estimates about 2,000 North Korean dead and confirms roughly 1,000 additional engineers arrived in Russia.
• KCNA said Kim inspected missile-industry sites before departure, highlighting engines tied to the Hwasong-19 and next-generation Hwasong-20 ICBMs in a display of advancing capabilities.
• State photos showed Kim’s daughter accompanying him on the trip for the first time, including at Beijing Station, intensifying outside speculation about succession signaling.
• South Korean media noted Kim moved around Beijing in a Maybach bearing a plate number linked to the Korean War armistice date, a detail read as pointed messaging toward the United States.