North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrived in Beijing on Wednesday with his daughter, Kim Ju Ae, to attend China’s largest-ever military parade marking the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II. The high-profile “Victory Day” event brings him together with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and 26 other world leaders in Tiananmen Square.
Kim, who travelled aboard his heavily fortified armoured train from Pyongyang, was seen stepping off with his daughter, whom South Korea’s intelligence agency has identified as his “most likely” successor. Her public appearances since 2022 have fueled speculation about her role in the regime’s future leadership.
The parade serves as a display of China’s growing military strength, featuring advanced tanks, anti-drone systems, and hundreds of aircraft. It also underscores Beijing’s strategic solidarity with Moscow and Pyongyang at a time of heightened global tensions. Xi has sought to frame China as a stable economic and diplomatic power amid ongoing U.S.-China rivalry.
Kim’s presence, the first by a North Korean leader at a Chinese parade since 1959, symbolizes Pyongyang’s strengthening ties with both Beijing and Moscow, particularly following reports of North Korean support for Russia’s war in Ukraine.
