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1h ago

Video Shows North Korean Aides Sanitizing Kim’s Chair After Putin Talks in Beijing

Analysts say the scrub-down reflects long-standing efforts to prevent foreign access to the leader’s biological material.

Kim Jong Un support staff.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet during their visit to Beijing to attend China's commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two, in Beijing, China, September 3, 2025, in this picture released by the Korean Central News Agency. KCNA via REUTERS
In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends a meeting with Russia's President in Beijing on September 3, 2025. (Photo by Alexander KAZAKOV / POOL / AFP) (Photo by ALEXANDER KAZAKOV/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Overview

  • Footage posted by Kremlin pool reporter Alexander Yunashev on Telegram shows staff wiping Kim Jong Un’s chair and side table and removing his drinking glass after his meeting with Vladimir Putin.
  • Experts describe the cleaning as routine counterintelligence practice intended to deny rivals any biological samples that could reveal health information.
  • Japan’s Nikkei, citing South Korean and Japanese intelligence, reported that Kim traveled with a private toilet on his armored train to keep waste from being collected.
  • Similar precautions have been observed at past summits, including sanitizing furniture at the 2018 inter-Korean meeting and extensive room cleanups after the 2019 Hanoi summit.
  • State and Russian media characterized the Beijing talks as positive, with Kim expressing strong support for Russia following the Victory Day parade attended by Xi Jinping.