Will North Korea's Kim Stand 'Side by Side' with Xi and Putin at China's Military Parade?

Seoul, Sep 2 (NationPress) North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will stand "side by side" with his Chinese and Russian counterparts, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, at the forthcoming military parade in China this week, according to Seoul's intelligence agency.

Traveling aboard his private train, Kim crossed the North Korea-China border at dawn and is heading to Beijing, where he is anticipated to arrive late in the afternoon, as reported by lawmakers citing a closed-door briefing from the National Intelligence Service (NIS).

"Kim will showcase trilateral unity by standing alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin during the military parade on Wednesday at Tiananmen Square," the NIS stated.

Earlier, the North's Korean Central News Agency disclosed that Kim departed Pyongyang on Monday to partake in China’s celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the victory over Japan's surrender and the conclusion of World War II.

The train journey from Pyongyang to Beijing is expected to take approximately 20 hours.

Kim's participation in the military parade, which will gather state leaders from 26 foreign nations, will signify his debut on the multilateral diplomatic scene.

The NIS assessed that Kim's visit aims to "expand his room to maneuver by restoring North Korea-China relations and securing China's economic assistance to bolster his regime."

Accompanying Kim to China are Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui; Hyon Song-wol, a party vice director; and Kim Song-nam, director of the international department of the ruling party, according to the NIS. His wife, Ri Sol-ju, and his sister, Kim Yo-jong, may also accompany him, as per the NIS.

On the sidelines of the military parade, Kim is "highly likely" to hold separate meetings with Xi and Putin, although the chances of a trilateral summit are deemed low, according to the NIS.

The agency also indicated that there are "low" chances for National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik, representing South Korea at the event, to secure any "meaningful" discussions with Kim.

The intelligence agency reported that North Korea is planning to deploy an additional 6,000 soldiers to Russia in its third round of troop dispatches to support Moscow's conflict in Ukraine, as reported by Yonhap news agency.

Since October of last year, North Korea has sent around 13,000 troops and conventional weaponry to aid Russia’s military efforts, with the NIS estimating around 2,000 deaths among the dispatched North Korean troops.

In celebration of the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea on October 10, North Korea is preparing a large-scale military parade, mobilizing approximately 10,000 participants, which may include a return of a mass gymnastics show after five years, as reported by the NIS.