Why North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, travels with his own toilet
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is known for bringing his own toilet with him wherever he travels, even within North Korea, as a measure to conceal his health status. This practice was recently highlighted during his trip to China for a military parade.
Russian President Vladimir Putin was also in attendance at the event, which marked the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II. Kim’s daughter, Kim Ju Ae, also made her first international trip with him.
According to South Korean and Japanese intelligence, the bulletproof train Kim used to travel to Beijing is equipped with a private lavatory, which is the “only toilet used during the trip.”
This is a security measure to prevent any part of his body from being left behind. Analysts believe this is to ensure no one can obtain his DNA, which could reveal details about his health and any medical conditions he may have.
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A History of Secrecy
This is not the first time Kim has brought his own toilet on an international trip. In 2018, during a summit on the South Korean side of the military border, his officials provided a separate toilet for him. The same year, one was flown to Singapore for the US-North Korea summit.
A former North Korean Guard Command employee told The Washington Post in 2022 that the regime fears that “dedicated sewer divers might access the supreme leader’s stools.”
Experts say that the leader’s physical condition is crucial to the stability of the North Korean regime. Kim is known to be overweight, a factor linked to various health conditions like heart disease.
If his DNA were to fall into the “wrong hands,” it could be dangerous. Speculation about his health could “trigger speculation of regime change, and even cause chaos in the country that has been under the rule of the same family for decades.”
The practice of closely guarding Kim’s biological material extends to his travels within North Korea, where his officials carry a separate toilet and bathroom for him during visits to military facilities or state-owned factories. His hair and saliva are also closely guarded.
When he traveled to Hanoi for the 2019 US-North Korea summit, a photo of him smoking on a train went viral, showing his sister, Kim Yo Jong, holding an ashtray for him.
Additionally, all utensils he uses in hotels are thoroughly cleaned, and his room is “perfectly scrubbed to ensure he leaves no traces of his body behind.”
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