Kim Jong Un's train entered Russia on Tuesday, September 12, 2023, as the North Korean tyrant heads for his meeting with Vladimir Putin at Vostochny cosmodrome in Russia's Amur region.
Kim's armoured plated train left Pyongyang on Sunday, September 10. Accompanied by arms industry and military officials, Kim plans to offer the embattled Russian president weapons for the war in Ukraine in exchange for food, technology and cash.
IMAGE: Kim departs Pyongyang, here and below. All Photographs: KCNA via Reuters
IMAGE: Kim does not travel abroad frequently; he has made just seven trips away from his country.
IMAGE: The train that ferries Kim to Russia arrived in Vladivostok -- the venue of the previous Kim-Putin meeting -- on Tuesday.
IMAGE: Unlike his father Kim Jong Il, who had a fear of flying, Kim has been known to travel by air, as he did when he flew to Hanoi to meet Donald J Trump in February 2019.
IMAGE: The armoured train -- with plenty of alcohol, food and entertainment on board -- offers Kim protection from the possibility that a flight could be targeted by assassins eager to rid North Korea of the Kim dynasty which has ruled the country for over 70 years.
IMAGE: Officials applaud Kim's departure. Kim's coterie will be watching every official closely -- any lack of enthusiasm could bring the said panjandrum under the regime's scrutiny.
Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff.com
Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com