A mysterious armoured train traveled from North Korea to Beijing and then headed back without revealing its key secret: Was Kim Jong Un on board?

Speculation about a visit to Beijing by North Korea's reclusive leader or another high-level Pyongyang official ran high Tuesday amid talk of preparations for a future meeting between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump.

The visit by the special train to Beijing and unusually heavy security at a guesthouse where prominent North Koreans have stayed seemed to point to the possibility that Kim was making his first visit to China as the North's leader.


Whoever was on the train, their visit to Beijing appeared to be short. On Tuesday afternoon, a vehicle convoy led by a motorcycle escort headed in the direction of Beijing's main railway station. The train was seen leaving shortly afterward, less than a day after it arrived.


On Monday, heavy security was reported at the Friendship Bridge on the Yalu River marking the border between China and North Korea before a train passed through the Chinese city of Dandong. There were reports of it transiting several stations on the way from North Korea to Beijing.



North Korea live-fire drill and Kim Jong-un
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un guides a firing contest among multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) batteries selected from large combined units of the KPA, in this undated photo KCNA via Reuters


North Korea's state-run media had no immediate reports of a delegation traveling to China.






