Why does Kim Jong Un travel by train? Interior details, route and more as Russia visit sparks hilarious reactions

Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea, is on his way to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss an arms deal because Russia is facing an imminent counter-offensive attack from Ukraine, as per BBC.

According to reports made by Russian state media outlet TASS, the North Korean leader travels in a train following the footsteps of his father and grandfather because the train is more advantageous and flexible than an aircraft in case of an attack.

Kim is aboard a dark green, bulletproof train, and as of Tuesday, September 12. According to CNN, he has crossed the Russian border and is heading North. The place of the summit has yet to be disclosed.

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Details about Kim Jong Un's travels to Russia via train

Kim Jong Un departed from the capital, Pyongyang on September 10, this Sunday afternoon along with his security and top government officials as per KCNA, a North Korean news outlet. His last visit to Russia was in Vladivostok four years ago via the same bulletproof train.

The train on which the leader is traveling has 20 heavy bulletproof carriages, and that extra weight slows down the locomotive's speed to about 37mph (59 km/h), as per NPR. Even with the delayed travel time, for instance, his trip to Vietnam for the 2019 North Korea-United States Hanoi Summit which took him 65 hours, he still prefers to travel by train.

The reason for choosing a train instead of a plane is its advantages during an attack, as the exit plan and defense are more flexible than on air. North Korea's Unification Ministry said if a jet with Kim Jong Un was under attack, the "survival chances are significantly reduced."

The Ministry also said Kim Jong Un's train "is equipped with attack weapons and a helicopter for escape in case of emergency."

Netizens are reacting on social media to Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin's meeting and Kim's travels by train.

The train travel idea first came with the founder of North Korea, Kim Il Sung, who was gifted a train carriage by the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. His son and Jong Un's father, Kim Jong Il, reportedly feared getting shot down by his foes while flying on an airplane, so he preferred to travel by train.

According to North Korean state media, he passed away due to a heart attack in late 2011 inside the train, and the carriage is displayed at his mausoleum. Kim's father had 90 carriages behind the train's engine, but Jong Un had about 21, as per BBC.

Reports from KCNA say the North Korean leader's train travels in the middle while two more trains move along with him, one in the front to check the route and tracks while the second contains his entourage.

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Interior of the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's train

The politician has bedrooms and conference rooms built into the train for official state business. In 2018, a video of Kim Jong Un meeting with Chinese diplomats in a train car with pink couches came out. The briefing rooms are equipped with satellite phones and flat-screen televisions.

The train has tinted windows and is well-stocked with fine dining items. Russian official Konstantin Pulikovsky, who was on board the locomotive said they had fresh lobster and cases of French Bordeaux and Burgundy red wines.

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When asked about the meeting location between Kim and Putin, Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesperson said, "At this point, we are not saying, in the Far East." He only revealed that it would occur in "the next few days."

On September 12, Kim Jong Un was seen leaving the train briefly to meet the Russian delegation at the border station of Russia named Khasan. As per BBC, he also met Alexander Kozlov, Russia's minister for natural resources, to discuss joint tourism and agricultural projects.