
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has made a rare visit outside of his secretive country to attend the China's largest ever military parade in Beijing, to mark "Victory Day."
Accompanied by his daughter Kim Ju Ae, photos showed Kim arriving in Beijing via his personal armoured train, ahead of Wednesday's victory parade which will see him rub shoulders with China's Xi Jinping, Russia's Vladimir Putin and other world leaders - to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Japan's formal surrender during WW2.
Kim officially crossed into China on Tuesday onboard his luxury train, which boasts a number of high-end amenities including a restaurant serving French wines as well as gourmet dishes that are said to include fresh lobster.
Kitted out with roughly 90 carriages, the train features a number of other amenities should Kim require them on his journey, including conference rooms, audience chambers and bedrooms, according to South Korean news outlets.
The North Korean leader left Pyongyang, the country's capital on Monday, but due to the train's heavy armoured layer of protection it took until Tuesday for the train to complete the 500 mile journey between the two nations.
Miss Kim has been a regular fixture at many of her father's events since formally making her public debut back in November 2022. Although very little is known about her life, South Korea's National Intelligence Service has suggested she is "most likely" going to become her father's successor.
During her initial debut, as Kim's second oldest child, she was referred to as a "beloved" daughter, however in recent years she has now taken on the title "respected" daughter instead, an adjective almost always reserved for North Korea's most revered - something which strongly hints at her possible role as the future leader of the country.
According to the NIS, she is believed to be around 12 years old, however this has never been officially confirmed.
The Victory Day parade comes at a significant moment for Xi as he seeks to assert Beijing's economic and diplomatic power on the international stage.
In the wake of Donald Trump's sweeping global tariffs which wreaked havoc on the global markets, China has instead hoped to present itself as a stable trading partner to in America's stead.
As well as marking a milestone 80th anniversary, the scale of the parade will also be sending a clear message to the world that it too can rival the US in both power and resources should it be drawn into any conflict.
As per theBBC,The 70-minute event is likely to feature China's latest weaponry, including hundreds of aircraft, tanks and anti-drone systems - the first time its military's new force structure is being fully showcased in a parade.
It will also see Xi stand alongside Kim and Russia's Vladimir Putin in a show of solidarity with the two aggressors amid the ongoing Ukraine war.
Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, with the initial assault having used weapons and troops supplied by the North Korean leader to launch the attack.
The event will also feature 26 other heads of state in attendance, including leaders from Iran, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Vietnam and Cuba.
The parade also marks a key milestone in the relationship between China and North Korea, as it is the first time that a North Korean leader has attended a Chinese military parade in decades, with the last known attendance being all the way back in 1959, when Kim's grandfather - the founder of North Korea, Kim Il-Sung attended.

Only one EU leader will be attending this year, Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico, however it is understood that both Bulgaria and Hungary will still be sending representatives in their leaders' stead.
Kim's attendance in particular shows a marked change compared to China's last Victory Day parade, when Pyongyang sent one of its top officials, Choe Ryong-hae to the 2015 celebration to mark the 70th anniversary of Japan's surrender.
Despite his seniority as a world leader, Kim rarely travels abroad with his most recent contact having been restricted to Putin, who he has met twice in person since the Ukraine war began.
He last visited Beijing in 2019 for an event marking the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the countries.
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