North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to attend military parade in Beijing

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will make his first visit to China in six years to attend a military parade next week, the two countries said.

The event would bring Mr Kim together with a large group of world leaders for the first time since taking office in late 2011.

With Russian President Vladimir Putin also coming for the parade, the event will underline the three-way alignment among Beijing, Moscow and Pyongyang in the face of a US push to bolster its alliances with South Korea and Japan.

North Korea’s state media said Mr Kim was invited to visit China by President Xi Jinping.

Mr Kim will be among 26 foreign leaders who attend next Wednesday’s parade in Beijing to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War and China’s resistance against Japan’s wartime aggressions, China’s Foreign Ministry said.

Hong Lei, China’s assistant minister of foreign affairs, told a press conference: “We warmly welcome General Secretary Kim Jong Un to China to attend the commemorative events.

“Upholding, consolidating and developing the traditional friendship between China and the DPRK is a firm position of the Communist Party of China and the Chinese government.”

DPRK refers to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, North Korea’s official name.

Since inheriting power upon his father’s death in December 2011, Mr Kim has met Mr Xi, Mr Putin, US President Donald Trump, former South Korean president Moon Jae-in and others.

But all those summits were bilateral meetings and Mr Kim has not attended any big multilateral events with foreign leaders.

“Given that other leaders attending are mostly from pro-Russia and pro-Chinese countries, Kim likely intends to form solidarity with those Global South countries while showing he’s leader of a normal country,” said Moon Seong Mook, an analyst for the Seoul-based Korea Research Institute for National Strategy.

Observers say it is likely Mr Kim is emboldened by his country’s expanding co-operation with Russia, which has helped him bear the brunt of US-led sanctions and break out of diplomatic isolation.

North Korea has been supplying troops and ammunition to support Russia’s war against Ukraine in return for economic and military assistance.

Others coming for the parade include the leaders of Iran, Belarus, Serbia, Cuba, Indonesia, Myanmar, Pakistan and Malaysia.

No leaders from major Western countries including the US are expected to attend, in part because of their differences with Mr Putin over the war in Ukraine.

The parade is expected to feature some of China’s newest weaponry and a speech by Mr Xi.

China, North Korea and Russia are embroiled in separate confrontations with the US, but they have not formed a clear three-way alliance so far.

Mr Xi, Mr Putin and Mr Kim have not met in trilateral formats, though they have met one another bilaterally.

“Kim’s attendance is significant for his own international stature, but it also holds weight in the balance of alliances between the US and China,” said Soo Kim, a former CIA analyst.

“Xi, Putin, and now Kim attending the parade cements a visible statement about the alignment between the three countries.”

It is likely the three leaders share desires to check the strengthening co-operation among the US, South Korea and Japan, which have been meeting regularly and expanding trilateral military exercises.

Despite their shared goals, it is not clear how far China, North Korea and Russia will go to further cement ties.

China remains the largest purchaser of Russian oil and technology provider supporting the Russian war machine, though it is officially neutral in the conflict.

China has also long been North Korea’s biggest trading partner and main aid provider, but there have been questions about their relations in recent years.

Chinese group tours to North Korea have remained suspended for years.

Mr Kim’s visit to China could also be related to efforts to restart diplomacy with Mr Trump, who has repeatedly highlighted his relationship with Mr Kim and expressed his hopes to resume talks.

In all, Mr Kim travelled to China four times from 2018 to 2019 to meet Mr Xi.

His first and fourth visits happened just before he met Mr Trump for their earlier high-stakes nuclear negotiations.

“Pyongyang’s illicit co-operation with Moscow has strained ties with Beijing, even as China’s political and economic support remains vital for the North Korean regime,” said Leif-Eric Easley, professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul.

“To re-engage Trump from a position of strength, Kim seeks to repair relations with Xi, and attending the parade in Beijing is a highly visible way of doing that,” Mr Easley said.

During a meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in Washington earlier this week, Mr Trump spoke of one of his past summits with Mr Kim at the Korean Demilitarised Zone.

Responding to a question over whether he would return to the Demilitarised Zone, Mr Trump told reporters, “I loved it. Remember when I walked across the line and everyone went crazy.”

North Korea has so far dismissed Mr Trump’s outreach, but many analysts say it would return to talks if it determines the US would make bigger concessions.

While Mr Kim’s foreign policy priority is Russia now, many observers expect him to take steps to improve ties with China.

It is unclear if North Korea and Russia would maintain the same level of co-operation after the Ukraine war ends.

In 2023, about 97% of North Korea’s external trade was with China, while 1.2% was with Russia, according to Chinese data.

Cheong Seong-Chang, deputy head of private Sejong Institute in South Korea, said it is likely Mr Kim decided to go to China to ask for assistance as North Korea needs resources for lavish celebrations of two domestic events – the 80th anniversary of the ruling Workers’ Party in October and a party congress early next year.