Kim Jong-un's 'pleasure train' with fine wines and harem of girls aboard can offer clues to his disappearance
North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un has been making headlines lately over his mysterious disappearance from the public eye, with many speculating that the leader is dead or severely ill. Along with the dictator, his personal train has also been featuring in the news, with the latest being the satellite pictures of the locomotive parked at his compound in the country's east coast, suggesting that he may as well be alive.
Kim's health came under scrutiny after he gave a miss to an annual visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun for the 108th birthday of his late grandfather, state founder Kim Il-sung, last week, on April 15. Reports state that until the mystery surrounding the dictator's disappearance is solved, his train's movement will be tracked by the United States and South Korea to get a clue about his whereabouts.
The train, with nearly 20 or more carriages, has a lounge lined with coral-pink leather sofas, a modern, all-white conference room, an office equipped with satellite TV, and a galley ready to serve the finest cuisine, according to the Daily Mail. The train reportedly has a consistent stock of fresh lobster, vintage wines and has attractive female "conductors." It is believed that the North Korean leader may also have revived his late father Kim Jong-il's practice of using the service of the so-called "Pleasure Brigade," which consists of young girls coerced into providing sex and entertainment to the locomotive's guests.
Kim, married to a songstress six years his junior, often boards his train on a ramp covered with a red carpet. The locomotive provides an array of Apple MacBooks, silver cutlery, and the finest bottles from Burgundy and Bordeaux.
The leader favors the supply of Cristal champagne, Hennessy cognac, and Swiss cheese on board the train, some remnants of a legacy of his schooling in Switzerland. The train reportedly can also carry Kim's armored Mercedes, often accompanied by another similar vehicle carrying his personal mobile bathroom.
Kim has reportedly used his train to visit countries like Russia, China, and Vietnam, and a network of command centers in the hermit country, some of them are believed to be located underground. Reports state that whenever the 36-year-old takes his beloved train for journeys, near-perfect security measures are employed for his security, including lines cleared of all traffic and information of the train's destinations restricted to only a few officials.
Kim's train is routinely guarded by two trains filled with body guards, one in the front and one behind, in an effort to ensure the safety of the route. Overhead cover is also provided to him via helicopters between a network of private stations used exclusively by the dictator.
Although the Pyongyang leader prefers his luxury train, he does not hesitate in using planes when necessary and has an array of them ready whenever he flies, including his personal Russian-built Ilyushin 62 airliner, named Chammae-1 after a species of hawk.
The latest reports of Kim's ill health or possible death emerged after a South Korean outlet, Daily NK, claimed that Kim had undergone a cardiovascular procedure in North Pyongyang on April 12 because of "excessive smoking, obesity and overworking". US media, a week later, reportedly received a tip from an intelligence official that the dictator was indeed in a critical condition.