As a select group of world leaders prepares to roll into Beijing for a massive military parade on Wednesday, one is traveling in his signature armored green train: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

The old-fashioned train has become a symbol of Kim’s dynasty and his secluded nation. It has also long been the subject of intrigue, carrying generations of the Kim family across the country and on rare overseas trips.

North Korea’s foreign ministry confirmed Kim left Pyongyang in his “private train” on Monday accompanied by senior officials including Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui. State media released a photo of a smiling Kim on board the train, sitting at a wooden table with a North Korean flag behind him.

Kim’s father and predecessor, Kim Jong Il, was reportedly averse to flying and relie

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