By Anadolu staff
A special armored train carrying North Korean leader Kim Jong Un crossed the border into China early Tuesday as he headed to Beijing to attend a military parade, marking his debut on the multilateral diplomatic stage, Yonhap News Agency reported.
Kim, who departed Monday from North Korea’s capital Pyongyang, is expected to reach Beijing later in the day as the journey spans around 1,300 kilometers (807 miles) and usually takes between 20 and 24 hours.
Kim, along with Russian President Vladimir Putin, will be among the state leaders from 26 countries attending a military parade in the Chinese capital on Wednesday. The event will commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, which China marks as its victory over Japan.
It will mark the first time that Kim will be participating in a multilateral diplomatic event since taking power in late 2011.
His grandfather, Kim Il-Sung, the founder and first leader of North Korea, attended a military parade in Beijing in 1959.