(ATTN: UPDATES with N. Korean media report, appearance of Kim's daughter; CHANGES headline; ADDS photo)
By Park Boram
BEIJING/SEOUL, Sept. 2 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un arrived in Beijing on Tuesday, the North's state media said, as photos showed him accompanied by his daughter on a key trip marked by his planned attendance at a Chinese military parade.
Kim, who departed Pyongyang the previous day in a special armored train, arrived at Beijing Railway Station at 4 p.m., local time, and was greeted by senior Chinese officials, including Cai Qi, member of the Chinese Communist Party's central committee, Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Beijing Mayor Yin Yong, the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, citing its foreign ministry.
"He met with officials of the Chinese side in a warm atmosphere," the agency said. "Saying that he was pleased to visit the People's Republic of China again after six years, he expressed thanks to Comrade Xi Jinping and Chinese party, government and people for their enthusiastic and cordial hospitality."
Photos released by the KCNA showed the leader accompanied by his daughter, Ju-ae, reinforcing views she is being groomed to succeed her father.
Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin will be among dozens of foreign leaders attending Wednesday's military parade presided over by Chinese President Xi Jinping at Tiananmen Square to celebrate the 80th anniversary of "victory" over Japan's surrender and the end of World War II.
Kim will stand "side by side" with Xi and Putin at Wednesday's military parade, the South's National Intelligence Service said. It also predicted that Kim may hold separate summits with both leaders on the sidelines.
Russian reports have said Kim will be seated to Xi's left, with Putin on his right. The three leaders, appearing shoulder to shoulder, would send a strong signal to the world about their strengthening trilateral solidarity.
"Kim will demonstrate trilateral solidarity by standing side by side with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin during Wednesday's military parade at Tiananmen Square," the NIS assessed earlier in the day.
Russia's Tass news agency also reported Tuesday that Kim and Putin could hold a summit in China, citing the Kremlin.
Russia may discuss the possibility of a Kim-Putin summit once Kim arrives in Beijing, a Kremlin spokesperson said.
Kim has not yet appeared at a multilateral diplomatic event since taking power from his late father, Kim Jong-il, although he has participated in bilateral summits.
His rare decision to attend the Chinese military parade is widely seen as an effort to restore traditionally close ties with China and shed his long-standing pariah image.
With bilateral summits and the signing of a mutual defense treaty last year, Kim and Putin have rapidly deepened military ties, prompting Pyongyang to deploy troops and weapons to support Moscow's war against Ukraine and straining its ties with Beijing.
Kim's trip also comes amid growing prospects of the end of the Russia-Ukraine war, which could shift Moscow's focus westward, away from Pyongyang, along with its economic assistance.
The NIS assessed that Kim's trip is aimed at "expanding his room to maneuver by restoring North Korea-China relations and securing China's economic assistance to buoy his regime."
Some also suggest that Kim may be seeking to recover relations with China in a bid to leverage them to strengthen his bargaining position ahead of a potential resumption of negotiations with the United States.