Pyongyang: North Korean state media on Saturday reported domestically on leader Kim Jong-un's return home after attending a military parade in Beijing, China. The event was covered by the North's main newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, which featured on its front page the arrival of Kim in Pyongyang on Friday. He traveled by his private armored train earlier in the week, accompanied by his daughter Ju-ae.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the Korean Central Broadcasting Station, North Korea's state-run radio network, also mentioned Kim's return in its 6 a.m. broadcast. On Friday night, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), which caters to readers outside North Korea, released a brief announcement of Kim's arrival.
Photographs published by state media showed Ju-ae, dressed in a dark suit, standing alongside Kim in his train cabin. Key North Korean officials, including Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui, were also present during the trip. Another image captured Ju-ae following her father off the train at a Pyongyang station, suggesting her potential future as a successor to Kim.
Kim Jong-un's visit to China, his first since 2019, was marked by his attendance at a large-scale military parade alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. During the visit, Kim engaged in separate bilateral discussions with Xi and Putin before departing Beijing on Thursday night. This recent trip was the longest of his five visits to China to date.