Kim Rolls Toward Russia to Meet Putin. North Korean leader, traveling by train, makes first trip abroad since 2019.

"SEOUL -- North Korean leader Kim Jong Un traveled to Russia in the preferred manner of Pyongyang's ruling family: cloaked in secrecy, self-protection and style.

Kim, the third-generation dictator, plans to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, state media from both countries reported on Monday -- the first official confirmation of the summit between the two leaders.

The trip marks the North Korean dictator's first international trip in more than four years. Kim departed Pyongyang on Sunday afternoon local time and took his personal, bulletproof train, North Korea's state media reported on Tuesday. Photos showed Kim, who was accompanied by senior party, government and military officials, waving to North Koreans from the train door. The report didn't mention if Kim had arrived yet in Russia.

U.S. officials had said they expected Kim to soon meet with Putin, where the two could advance talks about a sale of Pyongyang's munitions. Putin on Monday and Tuesday was scheduled to travel to Vladivostok, about 750 miles from Pyongyang, to take part in the Eastern Economic Forum, Russia's state-run TASS news agency reported Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying. Kim and Putin met in Vladivostok in 2019, their only in-person exchange to date. Peskov told a Russian media outlet there were no plans for talks between Putin and Kim at the economic forum.

Vladivostok, on Russia's east coast, is close enough for Kim to reach by train in a day. Traveling by rail not only gives the North Korean dictator increased security but also some global spotlight, with his trip itself drawing international attention, said Kim Young-soo, head of the North Korea Research Institute in Seoul.

"The train ride allows Kim to appear as a mysterious but important figure who meets world leaders in locations that are convenient for him," he said.

Kim was using his go-to mode of transport for foreign trips, an armed fortress on wheels that is believed to contain a karaoke room, satellite communication and an emergency-medical facility. His personal car -- in the past a Mercedes-Benz limousine -- is towed along as part of the caravan. So, too, is a helicopter brought along just in case Kim needs a swift exit, according to South Korean media reports based on declassified information and former North Korean officials.

The train is painted olive green with white roofing, and the windows are darkened. Strips of yellow steel plating -- meant to fortify against bomb attacks -- wrap around the train's body. Kim is known to travel with more than 20 carriages, with security traveling in front and in back.

A Pyongyang-Vladivostok flight is one of the few routes offered by North Korea's state-run Air Koryo airline. But in April 2019, Kim opted for a roughly 20-hour train journey.

Kim used a chartered Air China plane when he traveled to Singapore in 2018 to meet with then-President Donald Trump. North Korea's own fleet of planes aren't considered reliable enough for longer distances. But Kim did take his personal jet for a pair of visits to China the same year.

North Korea's railways -- the country's main form of transport -- are plagued by electricity shortages and outdated tracks. The fastest North Korea train, to Beijing from Pyongyang, travels at about 28 miles an hour, while ordinary trains travel at just 9 miles an hour because of infrastructure issues, said Ahn Byung-min, a South Korean researcher who traveled to North Korea several times for railway research.

"The railway tracks are barely able to withstand Kim's heavy bulletproof train and we haven't seen any signs of improvements in recent years for safety and speed," said Ahn, who last inspected North Korea's railways in 2018." [1]

Maybe, having a hard time understanding reality, the leaders of the West would like to take a train sometimes, instead of moving heavy planes, as it is done now? If we are serious about the climate problems caused by fossil kerosene, then leaders need to lead by example.

1.  World News: Kim Rolls Toward Russia to Meet Putin. North Korean leader, traveling by train, makes first trip abroad since 2019. By Timothy W. Martin and Dasl Yoon Train. 
Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 12 Sep 2023: A.6.