SEOUL (Reuters) -North Korean leader Kim Jong Un crossed the border into China on his special armoured train early on Tuesday to attend a celebration of the formal surrender of Japan in World War Two, state media said.
On the rare overseas trip for the largest multilateral diplomatic event Kim has attended, he is expected to engage with foreign leaders from Chinese President Xi Jinping to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Here are details of the North Korean officials photographed with Kim on or around the train. It is unclear if all are travelling with him.
CHOE SON HUI
Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui is one of the few North Korean women to hold high office. She was appointed in 2022, having previously been the first vice minister of foreign affairs.
Choe has been one of the very few officials closely involved in North Korea’s diplomacy on weapons development for more than 20 years, dating from the early days of its nuclear programme.
Choe has been sighted during Kim Jong Un’s previous high-profile meetings with other world leaders, including summits with U.S. President Donald Trump during Trump’s first term.
State media mentioned her by name as one of the officials travelling with Kim, and photographed her sitting beside him in the special train.
KIM SONG NAM
Kim Song Nam is the director of the International Affairs Department (IAD) of the sole ruling Workers’ Party of Korea, which manages party-to-party ties with China’s ruling Communist Party.
In that position, he is Kim Jong Un’s lead adviser and point man on China-North Korea relations, said Michael Madden, a North Korea leadership expert with the U.S.-based Stimson Center.
Kim Song Nam has been an interpreter for all three members of the ruling dynasty, including Kim Jong Un’s father and grandfather, in interactions with Chinese leaders, Madden said.
A state media photograph showed him sitting alongside Kim Jong Un and Choe on the train.
KIM TOK HUN
A secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, Kim Tok Hun is a former premier who led its economic and internal affairs.
In January, he also became chairman of the budget committee of the legislature, the Supreme People’s Assembly, said South Korea’s Unification Ministry, which handles inter-Korean affairs.
Kim is a rare rags-to-riches story in North Korea, having been a factory manager in his early career before rising to the top ruling echelon, analysts have said.
A state media photograph showed Kim Tok Hun standing with Kim Jong Un on a platform outside the train.
JO YONG WON
In 2022, Jo Yong Won became the director of the organisation and guidance department of the ruling party, a powerful body that governs nearly every aspect of life in North Korea.
It handles personnel changes in party organisations and direction of policy implementation.
In 2019, Jo was on Kim’s long train trip to Vietnam for a summit with Trump.
State media did not mention Jo or his name for several weeks this year, setting off speculation about his standing before he featured again in July.
A state media photograph showed Jo standing with Kim Jong Un on a platform beside the train.
(Reporting by Joyce Lee, Josh Smith and Jack Kim; Editing by Ed Davies and Clarence Fernandez)
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