Kim Jong-un’s special train: bulletproof carriages and luxury facilities
Kim Jong-un’s special train. Image / Rodong Sinmun
When Kim Jong-un traveled to China recently, he went via a special train. Or, to be more precise, a moving hotel.
The moment I saw that news, I thought of the experience ordinary North Koreans have of trains. I would like to share that story with you.
The train Kim uses is no ordinary means of transportation. It’s called the “Taeyang-ho.” Even from the name, you can sense the characteristic cult of personality. It is a specially manufactured train made up of 17 to 20 cars. Every carriage is bulletproof, with stealth coating, satellite communication jamming systems, mortars, machine guns, and even luxury vehicles on board.
It is literally described as a “moving palace,” a “moving fortress.”
But the trains ordinary North Koreans ride chug along at 30 or 40 km per hour. When the electricity cuts out, they stop, sometimes for a day or two at a time. That is why, in winter, everyone brings blankets. That’s how uncomfortable and painful the experience is.
North Korean propaganda always goes like this: “Our great General continues his guidance for the people, surviving on naps and balls of rice.”
They spread this kind of ridiculous propaganda. But who is it that actually eats those cold rice balls? It’s the miners digging coal, the farm laborers working the fields, and the ordinary residents shivering in winter with no firewood to keep warm.
Kim doesn’t eat rice balls. He has lavish banquets prepared with the people’s tears and blood.
Even when families of soldiers sent to Russia are told they are being “consoled,” hundreds of sons from countless families have lost their lives. But the dictatorship tries to cover up all responsibility with just a single tear. He puts on a show, shedding tears in front of others. If he truly felt that heartache, wouldn’t he not send them in the first place?
Just how precious and costly are Kim Jong-un’s tears supposed to be? After countless lives have been sacrificed, can a single gesture of sympathy really outweigh everything? According to reports, more than 600 have been killed. If you add the wounded, the total casualties come to about 14,700. It’s truly heartbreaking.
So why does Kim insist on going by train instead of flying? Aircraft are exposed to international satellite systems. By contrast, a train, even if it’s slow, can still be controlled if there’s a malfunction or even a terror attack on the ground.
The other reason is fear. He fears the people. He fears the outside world. He is afraid his fragile power might collapse.
North Korea proclaims, “The people are the masters.” But in reality, the people are hungry servants, and Kim is the king in a steel-plated palace.
The cost of a single car of Kim’s train could provide food for tens of thousands of farm laborers for a whole year. And where does the money come from? From the sweat, the blood, and the sacrifices of the people. All poured into a single man’s mode of transportation.
It was only after coming to South Korea that I realized this deeply. No matter how alert you are in North Korea, no matter how much outside information you hear, you can’t really grasp the full truth. I knew some of it, but I never imagined it was this cruel.
Exploiting the people, ruling over them, while securing one’s own safety in a gold-plated steel fortress—that is Kim Jong-un’s North Korea. I realized it too late, but I realized it.
So now, if anyone tried to feed me that kind of propaganda again, I would say this: “You are not eating rice balls, you are eating the people’s suffering.”
Now that I am in South Korea, where I can speak freely, I sincerely hope my message reaches those still inside North Korea, those who look out at the world but cannot freely speak or express themselves, living in darkness.
Kim Yumi, a North Korean defector, was born and raised in Haeju, South Hwanghae Province, a coastal military area. Growing up near a naval base, she was able to secretly watch South Korean news programs and TV shows, thereby uncovering the vibrant, democratic society of South Korea. Yumi and her husband made the brave decision to escape North Korea and seek a better future. Now in Seoul, she is actively involved in raising awareness about the realities of life in North Korea, especially on her YouTube channel, “@KimYumiTV.”
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