Why does the President of North Korea always take the train instead of t...

Hello, when going to Vietnam to attend the summit with the United States, the leader of North Korea chose to take the train instead of the plane and if we look back at history, almost the leaders of North Korea have always take the train instead of the plane. So what makes the North Korean leaders love to ride the train so much? Let's find us.

Most of the world's leaders have their own planes, the President of the United States has an Air Force One for about 4 billion dollars, the most expensive plane in the world. The leaders of other countries have also equipped very modern planes to take them to move and work around the world, but the leaders of North Korea do not, they still take the train. So what's the mystery behind this problem?, Is it because trains are safer than planes or because North Korea is so poor that it doesn't have money to fly?, let's see.

 

In fact, North Korean leaders say: "Taking the train has become a tradition in the Kim family", the tradition of taking the train began with North Korea's first leader, Kim Il Sung. About 100 years ago, railroads were an integral part of both industry and war. After the fall of the Japanese empire in 1945, the North Korean people regained control of their important railway lines. Soon after, the railway system became an important lifeline for the country, especially when it was renovated after the Japanese left, hundreds of thousands of North Korean prisoners and exiles returned to their homes thanks to the trains.

 

When the Korean War broke out, the trains were used as mobile command points. North Korean leaders, especially Kim Il Sung, have always felt safe from armored trains. The use of trains during the Korean War as a mobile palace for the North Korean leader created the tradition of Korean leaders starting here. When the situation has changed, technology is more advanced, and war is no more, each North Korean leader has different reasons for choosing to take the train.

 

With the first leader of North Korea, Mr. Kim Il Sung, train as a friend that stuck with him during the war. His fleet consists of 5 trains with 90 thick armored carriages, the interior is luxuriously decorated.

 

After the war ended, Kim Il Sung is said to have built himself many resorts, secret palaces and stations along the railway lines, and trains were the only means of access these special places. Moreover, at that time, the plane was still quite new and not really safe, it was easy to crash, even helicopters too, so taking the train was a sure and safe option and in the North Korea's reach. Therefore, Chairman Kim Il-sung gave trains a loyal love without using other means.

 

In Kim Jong Il's time, he still took the train because he was afraid of flying. Mr. Kim Jong Il came to power in 1994, at this time the plane was very modern and extremely safe, it was very unlikely that the plane crashed because of a technical fault. However, Mr. Il still chose the train as his means of transportation because he was very afraid of flying. Mr. Il feared that traveling by plane would leave him vulnerable to attack and assassination, while the train is ten thousand times safer. However, fate is also ironic, Mr. Il is said to have died while traveling on a train.

 

In Kim Jong Un's time, he was not afraid of flying. During his time studying abroad, Mr. Un flew a lot and no one assassinated him but he still chose to take the train, the reason is said to be because Mr. Un likes smoking and drinking. Kim Jong Un continues the tradition of taking the train of grandfather and father, his reasoning rooted in both his family tradition as well as his unhealthy habits. Mr. Kim Jong Un is a notorious smoker, estimating he smokes two or more packs of cigarettes a day. That habit is annoying when he flies, there are many airports around the world that prohibit it or at least it is uncomfortable. So Mr. Un likes to travel leisurely by train and sip wine, smoke and enjoy the view outside window.

 

Although in the age of airplanes and even flying taxis, trains may sound like outdated and old-fashioned means of transport, but the reality is that the North Korean leader's train is very modern and luxurious with many advanced technologies, it is also regularly upgraded continuously. In Kim Il Sung's era, the main fleet consisted of 90 armored cars pulled by locomotives at about 60km per hour.

 

When moving, there will be a train going ahead, checking for safety and problems ahead. Next, the train carrying the leader will depart 20 minutes later, enough time so that if the front train detects a problem, the main train can still handle the situation and behind are the logistics trains carrying security and medical forces.

 

By the time of Kim Jong Un, the carriages were not only luxurious, but also equipped with telephone systems, satellite internet and modern wireless communication systems, help leaders can run the country remotely at any time and place. With luxurious and modern equipment, these carriages are no less than a mobile palace, looking like a giant iron python. The North Korean state train is not only for domestic travel, but it is also used by North Korean leaders to work abroad, including in China, Russia, Vietnam and even communist countries during the Soviet era.

 

And the North Korean train moves quite slowly at 60 km per hour, it took up to 60 hours to reach Vietnam in 2019. Hope through this video, you have understood why the North Korean leaders love to ride the train, even when going abroad. Thank you for watching the video, goodbye and see you again.