(5th LD) N. Korea's Kim to attend China's Sept. military parade alongside Xi, Putin

▲ These photos of (from L) North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin are published by the Korean Central News Agency, Xinhua News Agency and Tass, respectively. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

▲ North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (R) shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping during their summit meeting in Pyongyang on June 20, 2019, in this file photo published by the Korean Central News Agency. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

▲ This file image shows preparations under way for China's military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, scheduled for Sept. 3, 2025. (Yonhap)

(5th LD) NK leader-China

(5th LD) N. Korea's Kim to attend China's Sept. military parade alongside Xi, Putin

(ATTN: RECASTS lead; UPDATES throughout with more info, photo)

By Park Boram

SEOUL, Aug. 28 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will attend China's large-scale military parade next week, marking his first trip to China in six years, and his first joint appearance with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, news reports said Thursday.

China will hold a high-profile military parade Wednesday at Tiananmen Square in Beijing to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in 1945, which it observes as victory against Japan.

Kim's rare overseas trip comes as North Korea and China show signs of restoring bilateral ties, fractured by Pyongyang's close alignment with Russia, following the deployment of North Korean troops to support Moscow's war with Ukraine.

Kim "will soon visit the People's Republic of China at the invitation of Xi Jinping ... to participate in celebrations of the 80th anniversary," the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

Concurrently, Hong Lei, China's assistant minister of foreign affairs, announced that Kim will attend the Sept. 3 military parade, listing him among state leaders from 26 foreign countries scheduled to attend at Xi's invitation.

The guests include Russian President Vladimir Putin and South Korea's Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik, as well as leaders from Vietnam, Indonesia and Iran, in addition to officials from the United States, France and Britain.

Hong welcomed Kim's scheduled attendance, saying that China is willing to strengthen cooperation with North Korea to promote regional peace and safeguard international justice in order to "write a new chapter" in their traditional friendship.

Since taking power in late 2011, Kim has visited China four times -- three times in 2018 and once in 2019 -- and during all of these visits, he held meetings with Xi.

North Korea appears to have chosen Kim's trip to China as part of efforts to mend frayed ties with Beijing in anticipation of the Russia-Ukraine war's conclusion, which could shift Moscow's focus westward, said Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul.

"Kim's attendance may serve as the country's starting point for multilateral dialogue and as a catalyst for a North Korea-U.S. summit," Yang predicted.

If the upcoming visit takes place as announced, it will mark Kim's first appearance at an international gathering, effectively serving as his debut on the stage of multilateral diplomacy.

It will also mark the first time that Kim, Xi and Putin come together at a time when their countries align to form a joint front against the strengthening trilateral cooperation among South Korea, the United States and Japan to counter shared threats.

It is the first time the top leaders of North Korea, China and Russia -- countries with historical ties dating back to the Cold War -- will appear at the same venue since the Cold War ended.

A key point of attention will be whether the North's leader encounters the South Korean assembly speaker, who will attend the Sept. 3 ceremony as the highest-ranking representative from South Korea.

China had initially explored the possibility of President Lee Jae Myung attending, but Seoul decided to send Woo, the second-ranking official in protocol, in consideration of its ties with the U.S.

Since taking office in June, Lee has consistently extended overtures to resume dialogue and improve ties with North Korea, although Pyongyang has squarely rejected them.

Many observers, however, see little possibility of a meeting between Kim and Woo, as Pyongyang's hostility toward Seoul remains unabated.

Seoul is also reportedly leaning toward the possibility of inviting Kim to the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, set to begin in late October in South Korea's Gyeongju.

During Lee's summit with U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this week, Trump said he wants to meet Kim again this year, and Seoul is looking to use the APEC summit to arrange a meeting between the two leaders.

South Korea's presidential chief of staff, Kang Hoon-sik, later told reporters that the government knew about Kim's plan to attend the Chinese military parade before the media announcement, as well as the plan to issue the announcement Thursday.

"The government was aware (of Kim's trip) via related agencies and was informed this morning that it will be announced today," Kang said, adding that discussions on North Korea during the Lee-Trump summit were affected by the move.

Beijing reportedly conveyed the information to Seoul through a diplomatic channel.

Asked whether the alignment of North Korea, China and Russia needs to be viewed with caution, Kang said Seoul expects the Pyongyang-Beijing relationship to develop in a way that promotes denuclearization and peace on the Korean Peninsula, and that the government will keep channels open for inter-Korean dialogue and cooperation.

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