Inside Kim Jong Un's bulletproof train loaded with weapons and 'lady conductors'

Business Insider

North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un travels abroad in a bulletproof train that's been used for generations. Archival footage and an expert reveal the root of the family's paranoia and what goes on inside the "Moving Fortress."

Transcript

00:00 Kim Jong-un has a private high-security train nicknamed the Moving Fortress.

00:06 It reportedly has 21 cars with bulletproof windows and reinforced walls and floors to

00:12 protect against bombs.

00:15 It is also equipped with weapons and a helicopter for escape.

00:19 The family of the dictator is famously paranoid.

00:23 In a society where they're pretty ruthless, they worry that people could be ruthless towards

00:29 them.

00:30 It's designed to protect him against his own people.

00:33 But does this old-fashioned train really keep Kim secure, or is it a moving target?

00:42 Few outside Pyongyang's military and elite have been aboard this secret train, which

00:46 crawls at 37 miles per hour.

00:49 A U.S. commuter train can easily reach 90 miles per hour, and a Japanese bullet train

00:54 tops out at 200 miles per hour.

00:57 Experts say the layers of armored plating make it thousands of pounds heavier and slow

01:01 it down.

01:03 Bruce Bennett, an expert on the region, says the train was probably made in Russia but

01:07 customized in North Korea.

01:08 They're going to have personal weapons, automatic rifles, anti-tank weapons that are handheld,

01:15 air defense missiles that are handheld, shoulder-fired missiles, those kinds of things one can expect.

01:23 Probably some of the roofs of the train cars come off to use mounted weapons.

01:29 The train also caters to his status, with a red carpet ramp for the Supreme Leader to

01:33 deboard.

01:35 Images released by North Korean state media KCNA reveal what's inside.

01:40 One carriage is outfitted with pink leather seats and appears to fit at least 20 people.

01:45 Another video shows Kim working in a conference room, with a laptop and computer monitor behind

01:49 him.

01:50 Reports suggest that the train carries at least 100 security personnel, and experts

01:56 say it's because he's obsessed with his survival.

01:58 Kim has even been spotted with possible body doubles, like at this missile launch in 2020.

02:04 He has purged many, many senior, highly elite leaders of the country.

02:12 They're furious at Kim for family members, friends who Kim killed without any really

02:19 good reason.

02:20 So there's a fair amount of anger that could be vented against him if he allows it.

02:26 And it's rumored that there have been several assassination attempts.

02:30 Incidents where a more distant relative tried to shoot him at a party.

02:36 Another report about an assault in one of the North Korean government buildings.

02:43 But there's another reason why Kim prefers to travel by train.

02:46 Well, he's trying to portray that he's a powerful but reasonable leader.

02:52 That he's not being terribly extravagant.

02:57 So he doesn't have the private 747 that a US president might go around in.

03:03 He goes around in a train.

03:05 But in reality, Kim leads a lavish life.

03:08 He apparently owns dozens of mansions and takes the train to get there.

03:12 In 2020, satellite images showed it parked by his private resort in Wonsan.

03:17 The luxury hideout has several guest villas, a private beach, a basketball court, a shooting

03:21 range, a $7 million luxury yacht, and a private railway station.

03:26 Trains were also believed to be his father's preferred mode of transportation, as Kim Jong-il

03:30 was rumored to have a fear of flying.

03:33 A 2009 South Korean news report states that 20 train stations were built across North

03:38 Korea just for his personal use.

03:41 If you go to a standard North Korean rail station, they're pretty dilapidated.

03:47 These luxury stations are in really good shape, maintained for him, coverage so that if it

03:54 rains, he doesn't get wet.

03:56 Three trains were part of Kim Jong-il's entourage.

03:59 The first led the way, the second transported the leader, and the third carried guards and

04:03 supplies.

04:05 Officials would shut down power to other tracks to guarantee a clear path.

04:09 And his security detail would search stations for threats and test the safety of the path.

04:13 Inside, he had a flat-screen TV and a computer.

04:17 According to a former Kremlin officer who traveled with Kim, the service was also lavish.

04:23 The kitchen carried live lobster and other gourmet delicacies.

04:26 Cases of Bordeaux and Burgundy wines were flown in from France.

04:30 The train featured live singing and dancing by so-called "lady conductors."

04:35 In 2011, Kim Jong-il died of a reported heart attack aboard one of his trains.

04:41 Along with his embalmed body, the carriage is now on display at his mausoleum in Pyongyang,

04:45 called the Kum Su San Palace of Sun.

04:49 Recently, Kim used the train to visit Vladimir Putin in Russia.

04:53 He rode it almost 300 miles from North Korea to Vladivostok.

04:56 The journey took 20 hours.

04:59 The train had to change wheels at the border to fit Russian railway tracks.

05:03 And this telegram video from a Russian news agency shows it being pulled by a Russian locomotive.

05:09 This was Kim's first international trip since before the pandemic.

05:14 In 2019, he used it for several high-profile visits to China, Russia, and even Vietnam

05:20 to meet former U.S. President Donald Trump.

05:23 Still, Kim is cautious about where he goes.

05:26 If he ever loses control, experts say it would set off a power grab in North Korea.

05:31 Probably his sister would be the most likely person who might try to exercise control.

05:38 There's a whole mythology circulated around how their family line is just this heaven-sent

05:46 family line of near gods.

05:49 But there are a lot of senior elites in North Korea who really don't like the Kim family.

05:56 And it could well be that if he disappears, the security services and military will eliminate

06:04 the rest of his family.

06:06 And someone from the elites would then potentially take over.

06:11 [music]

06:17 (dramatic music)

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