NORTH Korean leader Kim Jong Il – known for his fear of air travel – has six luxury trains equipped with reception halls, conference rooms and hi-tech communication facilities.
There are also 19 stations across North Korea exclusively for Mr Kim's trains, which have a total of some 90 carriages, the South Korean Chosun Ilbo newspaper reported, citing an analysis by South Korean and United States intelligence authorities.
The paper claimed the intelligence was obtained by US spy satellites and U-2 reconnaissance planes and the testimonies of North Korean defectors.
The National Intelligence Service, South Korea's main spy agency, and the US military command in Seoul said they could not confirm the report.
The reports claim Mr Kim, 67, uses the trains when he makes his frequent inspection visits to army units and factories or travels abroad.
It said each train was equipped with armour and had conference rooms, reception halls, bedrooms, wall-mounted TVs and modern communications equipment, such as satellite phones, enabling the "dear leader" to be debriefed on major issues and issue orders on the move.
To cope with any attempts to harm Mr Kim, his train travels with two other trains, with the first running ahead of his to check the safety of rail lines and the second following behind carrying security agents, the reports said.
It was also said that Mr Kim's train usually travels at a stately 37mph, so as not to upset him.
Chosun Ilbo quoted an unidentified South Korea source as saying security measures on Mr Kim's trains were increased following a train explosion in 2004 which killed about 160 people and injured another 1,300.
The blast in the North Korean town of Ryongchon, near the border with China, was thought to have been caused by a freight train laden with oil and chemicals that hit overhead power lines. But the blast occurred hours after Mr Kim reportedly passed through the station after a three-day visit to China, triggering speculation it might have been an assassination attempt.
The reclusive Mr Kim rarely travels abroad – and only under tight security – and avoids planes. He last visited China in 2006, though state media recently reported that Chinese president Hu Jintao has invited to visit again.
Meanwhile, France has this week launched a initiative aimed at bringing North Korea in from the diplomatic cold.
President Nicolas Sarkozy's special envoy, Jack Lang, arrived in Pyongyang yesterday to explore the possibility of "forging diplomatic ties between the two countries".
France never recognised North Korea, which was divided from the South in the Korean War's armistice.
Paris has since said it wants to see an end to Pyongyang's nuclear programme and an improvement in human rights conditions before establishing ties.
