North Korea’s Kim Jong Un arrives in Beijing for military parade alongside Putin, Xi

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrived in Beijing by train on Tuesday (September 2, 2025) to attend a military parade with his Chinese and Russian counterparts, an event that observers say could potentially demonstrate three-way unity against the United States.

Mr. Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin are among the 26 world leaders who will join China’s President Xi Jinping at Wednesday’s massive military parade in Beijing that commemorates the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and China’s fight against Japan’s wartime aggressions.

It’s set to be Mr. Kim’s first time attending a major multilateral event during his 14-year rule, and the first time Kim, Xi and Putin, all key challengers of the US, have gathered at the same venue. None of the three countries have confirmed a private trilateral leaders’ meeting.

North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said Mr. Kim was greeted at Beijing railway station by senior Chinese officials. Kim was cited as saying he was pleased to visit China and expressing thanks to Xi and his government for their cordial hospitality.

China’s state-run Xinhua news agency issued a photo of a smiling Kim, dressed in a black suit and red tie, stepping off his train at the station.

Bilateral meetings

In a closed-door briefing to lawmakers earlier Tuesday, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service said that Kim will likely receive special protocol and security measures on par with those given to Mr. Putin, according to Lee Seong Kweun, a lawmaker who attended the meeting.

The spy agency said Mr. Kim may stand alongside Mr. Xi and Mr. Putin on the rostrum at Tiananmen Square during Wednesday’s parade, and anticipated that he will hold bilateral meetings with the Chinese and Russian leaders and interact with other heads of state at a reception and cultural performance as he seeks to further break out of isolation and expand his diplomatic footing, Mr. Lee said.

It is Mr. Kim’s first visit to China since 2019 and the fifth visit in total since he inherited power upon his father’s death in late 2011.

Mr. Putin arrived in China on Sunday to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, a regional summit, as well as the Beijing parade. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told Russia’s Tass news agency on Sunday that a meeting between Mr. Putin and Mr. Kim on the sidelines was “under consideration.” North Korea observers are paying keen attention to Kim possibly meeting Xi bilaterally as well and holding even a trilateral meeting with Mr. Xi and Mr. Putin. The three leaders have met bilaterally previously but have yet to hold a trilateral meeting.

Kim to restore China ties

North Korea’s foreign policy priority has been Russia in recent years as it has been supplying troops and ammunition to support Moscow’s war against Ukraine in exchange for economic and military assistance.

According to South Korean assessments, North Korea has sent around 15,000 troops to Russia since last year. In its latest briefing to lawmakers, the South Korean spy agency said it believes roughly 2,000 of them have so far died in combat, Lee said.

Mr. Kim has also agreed to additionally send thousands of military construction workers and deminers to Russia’s Kursk region, and the agency assesses that the first 1,000 are already in Russia, Mr. Lee said.

North Korea’s relations with China have reportedly turned sour in recent years, but experts say Mr. Kim likely hopes to restore ties as China is North Korea’s biggest trading partner and aid benefactor and he would want to brace for the end of the Russia-Ukraine war.

Kim developing partnerships

Since aligning with Russia, North Korea has become more vocal in international affairs beyond the Korean Peninsula, issuing diplomatic statements on conflicts in the Middle East and in the Taiwan Strait, while portraying itself as a part of a united front against Washington.

Some experts say Mr. Kim’s presence at the multilateral event in Beijing is part of efforts to develop partnerships with other nations close to China and Russia.

Mr. Kim’s trip comes as President Donald Trump and new liberal South Korean President Lee Jae Myung have repeatedly expressed their hopes to restart talks with North Korea. North Korea has been shunning talks with the US and South Korea and pushing to expand its nuclear and missile arsenals since Kim’s earlier round of diplomacy with Trump collapsed in 2019.

Before departing for China on Monday, Kim visited a North Korean missile research institute to review progress on developing a new engine for a “next-generation” intercontinental ballistic missile, KCNA reported.

The North in recent years has tested various versions of ICBMs capable of reaching the US mainland, and analysts say the next-generation ICBM likely refers to a long-range weapon with multiple nuclear warheads that can defeat US missile defence systems.