Kim Jong-un Travels to China on Armored Train — Who Will Greet Him in Dandong Raises Speculation

Kim Jong-un (Pyeongyang Press Corps/Getty image)

[People News] North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is believed to have departed Pyongyang by special train on the 1st and is expected to arrive in Beijing on the afternoon of the 2nd to attend the CCP’s September 3 military parade. During his four previous visits to China, Kim was greeted in Dandong by the head of the CCP’s International Liaison Department. As current department head Liu Jianchao was recently rumored to have been arrested, speculation has arisen over who will meet Kim in Dandong this time.

According to Chosun Ilbo, on the 1st, a source in Dandong familiar with North Korea-related matters said:
“Security has been greatly tightened in Dandong, and there are rumors that Kim Jong-un will pass through Dandong by train.”

Asahi Shimbun reported that because of Kim’s visit, on the night of the 30th, police vehicles were stationed near hotels close to Dandong Railway Station.

The Nikkei also reported that not only were hotels near the Yalu River restricted, but even some facilities as far as 10 kilometers away were barring new guests.

Recently, Dandong Railway Station announced that the passenger train bound for Beijing on the night of the 1st would be suspended.

Kim Jong-un has previously visited China four times: in March 2018 and January 2019 by train, and in May and June 2018 by plane. South Korean media have reported that Kim’s special green train is heavily armored, allowing a maximum speed of only about 60 km/h, meaning the journey from Pyongyang to Beijing takes at least 20 hours.

If Kim arrives in Dandong on the 1st, attention is focused on which senior CCP diplomat will greet him. During Kim’s 2018–2019 visits, he was received each time by then–head of the CCP’s International Liaison Department Song Tao.

Currently, incumbent department head Liu Jianchao was rumored to have been investigated in mid-August. However, the CCP’s International Liaison Department website still lists him as minister. Liu was once considered a top contender to succeed Wang Yi as foreign minister.

After rumors of Liu’s downfall, Bloomberg noted that if Liu were removed, five career diplomats could be possible successors as foreign minister. These include three vice foreign ministers — Ma Zhaoxu, Sun Weidong, and Hua Chunying — as well as Liu Haixing, executive deputy director of the CCP Central National Security Office, and Lu Kang, vice minister of the International Liaison Department.

Observers speculate that this time, the task of greeting Kim may fall to a vice minister from either the International Liaison Department or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, though the possibility of a minister-level official appearing cannot be ruled out.