After the meeting between Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing, North Korean staff immediately meticulously cleaned up the items Mr. Kim touched. Seats, fuel rooms, coffee tables are all cleaned, and cups of water are also collected. The image posted by reporter Alexander Yunashev on Telegram shows the maximum effort to erase all traces of the leader's health condition.
The meeting between Mr. Kim Jong-un and Mr. Putin lasted more than two hours, after which the two continued to attend a tea party together and broke up in an intimate atmosphere. However, immediately after they left the room, North Korean assistants "erased all traces of Mr. Kim's presence". This is part of a series of security measures that North Korea has maintained for many years.
According to the media, Mr. Kim even brought his own toilet on the characteristic blue train on trips abroad. The measure is believed to be aimed at preventing intelligence agencies from collecting waste to analyze his health condition. Some experts say that controlling every detail, from waste, pesticides to personal items, will help North Korea eliminate the risk of exploiting medical information.
These actions did not only appear during his trip to Beijing. During the 2019 meeting with US President Donald Trump in Hanoi, North Korean bodyguards spent many hours cleaning hotel rooms, even carrying a mattress. At the 2018 summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, security personnel sprayed disinfectants and cleaned tables and chairs before Kim Jong-un used them.
Strict control habits were also noted when Mr. Kim Jong-un met with Mr. Putin in 2023, when the security team used disinfection solutions to thoroughly clean seats and even used metal detectors to ensure safety. These measures, according to experts, not only reflect security concerns but also a way for North Korea to absolutely protect the secret related to Kim Jong-un's health.
