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A fence is set up around the Yalu River Bridge in Dandong, China, near the border with North Korea on September 1, as Kim Jong-un reportedly departed Pyongyang that day. / Yonhap

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un left Pyongyang by special train on September 1 to attend China’s 80th Victory Day celebrations, state media confirmed on September 2. It is unusual for Pyongyang to announce a leader’s overseas trip immediately after departure.

According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim is accompanied by Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui and other senior party and government officials. The report did not mention whether his wife Ri Sol-ju or daughter Ju-ae joined the delegation.

Kim chose the “Taeyang-ho,” a special train reserved exclusively for the Kim family, also known as the “No. 1 Train.” The journey, with an average speed of just 50–60 kilometers per hour, is expected to take 20 to 24 hours, bringing him to Beijing on September 2, the day before the Victory Day events. The train is expected to cross the Yalu River via the Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge connecting Sinuiju and Dandong.

Kim is expected to stand alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the Tiananmen Gate reviewing stand during the military parade on September 3.