Kim Jong Un’s Train Headed Toward Russia for Putin Talks

Trip will be Kim’s first outside Korean Peninsula since 2019
US expects he will talk about weapons deal with Putin

A green train with yellow trimmings, resembling one used by Kim Jong Un on the North Korea border with Russia and China, on Sept. 11.Photographer: Ng Han Guan/AP Photo

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By Sangmi Cha and Jon Herskovitz

September 11, 2023 at 8:15 AM UTC

Updated on

September 11, 2023 at 9:37 PM UTC

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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un headed to Russia via his luxury armored train, ahead of talks with President Vladimir Putin in Vladivostok that the US said would touch on arms transfers to help the Kremlin’s war machine.

Kim left Pyongyang “by his train on Sunday afternoon to visit the Russian Federation,” North Korea’s official KCNA news agency confirmed, after saying earlier that Kim would meet with Putin. The Dong-A Ilbo newspaper in South Korea also reported the train was headed for Russia and expected to cross the border early Tuesday.