According to a report by Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) on September 2, citing South Korean and Japanese intelligence agencies, special equipment has been installed on the private train used by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to travel to Beijing, China, to prevent biometric information from being leaked. The train reportedly includes a dedicated toilet to prevent information about Kim’s health from being leaked through waste.
It is also noted that North Korea brought a private toilet during the inter-Korean summit at Panmunjom and the North Korea–U.S. summit in Singapore in 2018. Nikkei interpreted that Kim Jong-un, who is known to be a smoker, also collects his cigarette butts to protect his biometric information.
A notable instance was captured in 2019 when Kim was heading to Vietnam for the North Korea–U.S. summit. While smoking on the platform of a station in Nanning, China, Kim’s sister Kim Yo-jong was seen collecting his cigarette butt, presumably because saliva on it could reveal health information. Kim is also reported to have placed used matches back into the matchbox to prevent information leakage.
During events like the North Korea–U.S. summits, it is explained that his entourage works to erase traces like hair or saliva from hotel rooms and remove DNA information from any tableware that Kim used. Kim Jong-un’s close contact items are strictly managed. For instance, during signing ceremonies, Kim uses his pen instead of the ones prepared by the host to prevent fingerprint collection.
North Korea diligently maintains not only an assassination alert for Kim but also strict hygiene measures. During the 2018 inter-Korean summit, staff were seen spraying disinfectant on Kim’s chair and repeatedly wiping the backrest and armrests, even fumigating the air.
The report was produced by Lim Dong-geun and Shin Tae-hee, with videos from Yonhap News TV, Korean Central Television, Korean Central News Agency, Reuters, Nihon Keizai Shimbun, and TBS.