Inside Kim Jong Un's bulletproof train loaded with weapons and 'lady conductors'
North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un travels abroad in a bulletproof train that's been used for generations. Archival footage and an expert reveal the root of the family's paranoia and what goes on inside the "Moving Fortress."
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00:00 Kim Jong-un has a private high-security train nicknamed the Moving Fortress.
00:06 It reportedly has 21 cars with bulletproof windows and reinforced walls and floors to
00:12 protect against bombs.
00:15 It is also equipped with weapons and a helicopter for escape.
00:19 The family of the dictator is famously paranoid.
00:23 In a society where they're pretty ruthless, they worry that people could be ruthless towards
00:29 them.
00:30 It's designed to protect him against his own people.
00:33 But does this old-fashioned train really keep Kim secure, or is it a moving target?
00:42 Few outside Pyongyang's military and elite have been aboard this secret train, which
00:46 crawls at 37 miles per hour.
00:49 A U.S. commuter train can easily reach 90 miles per hour, and a Japanese bullet train
00:54 tops out at 200 miles per hour.
00:57 Experts say the layers of armored plating make it thousands of pounds heavier and slow
01:01 it down.
01:03 Bruce Bennett, an expert on the region, says the train was probably made in Russia but
01:07 customized in North Korea.
01:08 They're going to have personal weapons, automatic rifles, anti-tank weapons that are handheld,
01:15 air defense missiles that are handheld, shoulder-fired missiles, those kinds of things one can expect.
01:23 Probably some of the roofs of the train cars come off to use mounted weapons.
01:29 The train also caters to his status, with a red carpet ramp for the Supreme Leader to
01:33 deboard.
01:35 Images released by North Korean state media KCNA reveal what's inside.
01:40 One carriage is outfitted with pink leather seats and appears to fit at least 20 people.
01:45 Another video shows Kim working in a conference room, with a laptop and computer monitor behind
01:49 him.
01:50 Reports suggest that the train carries at least 100 security personnel, and experts
01:56 say it's because he's obsessed with his survival.
01:58 Kim has even been spotted with possible body doubles, like at this missile launch in 2020.
02:04 He has purged many, many senior, highly elite leaders of the country.
02:12 They're furious at Kim for family members, friends who Kim killed without any really
02:19 good reason.
02:20 So there's a fair amount of anger that could be vented against him if he allows it.
02:26 And it's rumored that there have been several assassination attempts.
02:30 Incidents where a more distant relative tried to shoot him at a party.
02:36 Another report about an assault in one of the North Korean government buildings.
02:43 But there's another reason why Kim prefers to travel by train.
02:46 Well, he's trying to portray that he's a powerful but reasonable leader.
02:52 That he's not being terribly extravagant.
02:57 So he doesn't have the private 747 that a US president might go around in.
03:03 He goes around in a train.
03:05 But in reality, Kim leads a lavish life.
03:08 He apparently owns dozens of mansions and takes the train to get there.
03:12 In 2020, satellite images showed it parked by his private resort in Wonsan.
03:17 The luxury hideout has several guest villas, a private beach, a basketball court, a shooting
03:21 range, a $7 million luxury yacht, and a private railway station.
03:26 Trains were also believed to be his father's preferred mode of transportation, as Kim Jong-il
03:30 was rumored to have a fear of flying.
03:33 A 2009 South Korean news report states that 20 train stations were built across North
03:38 Korea just for his personal use.
03:41 If you go to a standard North Korean rail station, they're pretty dilapidated.
03:47 These luxury stations are in really good shape, maintained for him, coverage so that if it
03:54 rains, he doesn't get wet.
03:56 Three trains were part of Kim Jong-il's entourage.
03:59 The first led the way, the second transported the leader, and the third carried guards and
04:03 supplies.
04:05 Officials would shut down power to other tracks to guarantee a clear path.
04:09 And his security detail would search stations for threats and test the safety of the path.
04:13 Inside, he had a flat-screen TV and a computer.
04:17 According to a former Kremlin officer who traveled with Kim, the service was also lavish.
04:23 The kitchen carried live lobster and other gourmet delicacies.
04:26 Cases of Bordeaux and Burgundy wines were flown in from France.
04:30 The train featured live singing and dancing by so-called "lady conductors."
04:35 In 2011, Kim Jong-il died of a reported heart attack aboard one of his trains.
04:41 Along with his embalmed body, the carriage is now on display at his mausoleum in Pyongyang,
04:45 called the Kum Su San Palace of Sun.
04:49 Recently, Kim used the train to visit Vladimir Putin in Russia.
04:53 He rode it almost 300 miles from North Korea to Vladivostok.
04:56 The journey took 20 hours.
04:59 The train had to change wheels at the border to fit Russian railway tracks.
05:03 And this telegram video from a Russian news agency shows it being pulled by a Russian locomotive.
05:09 This was Kim's first international trip since before the pandemic.
05:14 In 2019, he used it for several high-profile visits to China, Russia, and even Vietnam
05:20 to meet former U.S. President Donald Trump.
05:23 Still, Kim is cautious about where he goes.
05:26 If he ever loses control, experts say it would set off a power grab in North Korea.
05:31 Probably his sister would be the most likely person who might try to exercise control.
05:38 There's a whole mythology circulated around how their family line is just this heaven-sent
05:46 family line of near gods.
05:49 But there are a lot of senior elites in North Korea who really don't like the Kim family.
05:56 And it could well be that if he disappears, the security services and military will eliminate
06:04 the rest of his family.
06:06 And someone from the elites would then potentially take over.
06:11 [music]
06:17 (dramatic music)