What’s the rail truth behind North Korean leader Kim’s special green train?

1. What’s inside the trains?

It is unclear how many trains North Korean leaders have used over the years, but Ahn Byung-min, a South Korean expert on North Korean transport, said several were needed for security reasons.

Those trains have 10 to 15 carriages each, some of which are used only by the leader, including a bedroom, but others carry security guards and medical staff. They also usually have space for Kim’s office, communications equipment, a restaurant and carriages for two armoured Mercedes, according to Ahn.

State media photos on Tuesday showed Kim with senior officials taking a cigarette break next to a green carriage emblazoned with gold-coloured crests and trim, and sitting in a wood-panelled office in front of a large gold crest and flanked by the North Korean flag.

On Kim’s desk sat a gold-embossed laptop computer, a bank of telephones, his signature box of cigarettes and bottles with blue or clear liquids. The windows were trimmed with blue-and-gold curtains.