As reports surface over an increasingly cozy relationship between Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin, people are beginning to wonder how the famously reclusive North Korean leader plans to make his trip from Pyongyang to the Pacific port city of Vladivostok.
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The pair have been in headlines recently as they arerumoured to be striking a mutually beneficial deal that would see North Korea supply Russia with weapons in return for technology that could improve its satellite and nuclear-powered submarine capabilities, reported CNN.
Plane, train or automobile?
Kim and Putin are expected to attend the Eastern Economic Forum at Vladivostok’s Far Eastern Federal University next week. The meeting has not yet been confirmed but if Kim Jong-un does go, it is unlikely he will fly.
Though the North Korean leader has flown before, he is reportedly terrified that he will be targeted while in an aircraft. This is something he inherited from his father and predecessor, Kim Jong-il. Under his rule, reports surfaced of three trains operating every time the leader made a trip: one for advanced security, one for the leader, and one for carrying additional bodyguards. A train sandwich, if you will.
Kim Jong-un’s train
The Express has provided a detailed description of Kim Jong-un’s preferred mode of travel. First thing’s first: length. Well, it’s got 21 carriages and they are all bullet proof. The journey to Vladivostok will take Kim 426 miles, and his transport is limited to an average speed of just 37mph due to all the hefty armour. That means it would take a whole day to complete the trip.
However, if he gets peckish on the way, he won’t go hungry. Guests can order any signature dish from any nationality they fancy. French wine is, of course, the favourite choice of drink.
Apple computers onboard
There is an embargo in North Korea on US technology, yet this doesn’t seem to apply to Kim Jong-un. He reportedly uses Apple computers on the train, and a laptop computer screen features in a video from 2011, in which he is seen holding court in what appears to be a conference room onboard the train.
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Sources used:
Express: Inside Kim Jong-un’s bulletproof train traveling 426 miles to meet Putin
Chicago Tribune: North Korea's Kim Jong Un breaks with his flight-phobic father, travels by plane
