Since Kim assumed power in 2011, he has predominantly gone abroad by train, much like his father and grandfather, piquing curiosity about it. During Kim Jong Il's era, the train reportedly had luxurious bedrooms and high-tech communication. It served live lobsters and fine wines. For entertainment, there were ‘lady conductors’ to sing.
North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un arrived in Russia to meet President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday (September 12). The two leaders are expected to discuss the possibility of North Korea providing Moscow with weapons to support its invasion of Ukraine.
Kim reached the country from Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital, in his favoured mode of transport: a swanky, bulletproof but agonisingly slow train. Since he assumed power in 2011, Kim has predominantly gone abroad by train, much like his father and grandfather, piquing curiosity about it.
His train consists of about 21 carriages, painted in olive green with yellow piping and tinted windows. But why does a modern-day dictator prefer to travel by train? What is so special about it? What kind of food and entertainment is provided on the train?
The tradition of North Korean dictators using trains for foreign trips goes back to Kim’s grandfather Kim Il-sung — the founder of the country. He began travelling by them during the Korean War (1950-1953) and continued to do so throughout his rule. His son, Kim Jong Il, also preferred rail over air travel as he was afraid of flying.
In December 2011, Kim Jong Il died of a heart attack while aboard his train, according to the BBC. He had been travelling for one of his “field guidance” tours, said the state agency. His successor, Kim Jong Un, carried on the tradition but occasionally travelled by plane. For instance, he used a Boeing 747 operated by Air China in 2018 for a high-profile diplomatic summit with then-US President Donald Trump.
Despite the interest in Kim’s train, many of its details remain a mystery. Whatever is known about it comes from intelligence reports, recollections of officials allowed to travel on board during the times of Kim’s father and rare state news media footage, according to The New York Times.
A 2009 South Korean news report said there were about 90 armoured, high-security carriages at the leader’s disposal. Written during Kim Jong Il’s reign, the report added he used six luxury trains for his travel and 20 stations were built within the country for his use.
“When he travelled, three separate trains would run together in a caravan — a lead train to handle security checks and reconnaissance, the leader’s train, and a third containing his bodyguards and support personnel,” The Washington Post quoted the report as saying.
As each of the carriages was bulletproof, they were thousands of pounds heavier than average. This made the trains exceptionally slow. The report said the trains’ top speed was 59.5 km per hour.
During the foreign trips, the train carrying the leader would be heavily guarded. “According to the 2009 report, 100 security officers travelled in the advance train, searching stations for bombs and other threats and testing the safety of the track. Additionally, military helicopters and airplanes would fly overhead to provide more security,” The NYT said.
Moreover, the train also carried two armoured Mercedes to take Kim to and from the train.
Luxurious and cosy interiors
Over the years, rare videos released by state news media gave a sneak peek of the train’s interiors. For example, a 2015 video showed Kim Jong Un sitting at a long white table in what seemed to be a conference room. Similarly, in footage from 2011, his father appeared addressing officials at the same spot.
“In footage of the elder Mr Kim’s trips, the leader is seen in an audience car with plush seats, leading a meeting in a dining car and attending a banquet in a car panelled in dark wood,” The NYT reported.
A report by South China Morning Post noted that Kim Jong Il’s trains were believed to be decked out with conference rooms, bedrooms, and audience chambers, with hi-tech communications such as satellite phones and flat-screen television screens.
Overloaded with delicacies and entertainment
Konstantin Pulikovsky, a Russian official who travelled with Kim Jong Il during a 2011 trip through Russia, wrote a detailed account of the grandeur of the train. “It was possible to order any dish of Russian, Chinese, Korean, Japanese and French cuisine,” he wrote in his memoirs, ‘Orient Express’.
Pulikovsky recounted that live lobster and other fresh delicacies were delivered to the train on the former dictator’s demand as it went through Siberia during trips to Russia. Not only this, crates of fine wines like Bordeaux were flown in from Paris, The NYT reported.
But what about entertainment? The Russian official wrote there were “beautiful lady conductors” onboard, who would sing in Korean and Russian.
He added that even Putin’s rail transportation “did not have the comfort of Kim Jong Il’s train.”
The details of what Kim Jong Un does for nourishment and entertainment while travelling remain unknown, however, his “appetite is known to rival his father’s,” The NYT said. The current North Korean dictator reportedly “prefers Swiss cheese, Cristal Champagne and Hennessy cognac,” it added.
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