North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un, travelled to Beijing this week with his own private toilet on board his armored train, intelligence officials in Japan and South Korea have disclosed.
The unusual precaution is said to form part of an elaborate security protocol aimed at concealing any information about the leader’s health. Aides also reportedly sanitised the room where he held talks with Vladimir Putin, removing glassware and wiping surfaces.
Analysts say Pyongyang views Kim’s wellbeing as directly tied to the stability of the regime, making the protection of his biological material a state priority. The visit coincided with China’s largest-ever military parade, marking the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.
The meeting between Kim and Putin underlined deepening ties between Moscow and Pyongyang at a time when both governments face heightened tensions with the West.
