Private toilets, personal pens: The measures North's Kim takes to guard biological data on tour

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is reportedly taking extraordinary measures to conceal any trace of his biological data during his ongoing visit to China — including traveling with a private toilet and avoiding contact with foreign objects.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Sept. 1 leaves for China to attend the Victory Day parade set to take place on Sept. 3. [RODONG SINMUN]

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is reportedly taking extraordinary measures to conceal any trace of his biological data during his ongoing visit to China — including traveling with a private toilet and avoiding contact with foreign objects — to guard against potential health information leaks and assassination attempts.

Kim's private train, the Taeyangho, used during his ongoing visit to China, is reportedly equipped with specialized facilities to protect the leader. These include a private toilet installed specifically to prevent Kim’s health data from being exposed via bodily waste, according to a report by Japan’s Nihon Keizai Shimbun, or Nikkei, on Tuesday, citing intelligence sources in South Korea and Japan.

Nikkei reported that Kim has also used private bathrooms and personal washrooms built into his vehicles when visiting military facilities and factories within North Korea.

North Korea reportedly transported a personal toilet for Kim during the inter-Korean summit at the Peace House in Panmunjom in 2018, as well as the North Korea-U.S. summit in Singapore the same year.

The newspaper also cited an incident from Kim’s journey to Vietnam for the 2019 summit with U.S. President Donald Trump during Trump’s first term. While smoking on the platform of a train station in Nanning, southern China, Kim's sister, Kim Yo-jong, was seen holding an ashtray and collecting his cigarette butt — an action Nikkei interpreted as a precaution to protect his biological data.

“Traces of saliva on a used cigarette could reveal information about Kim Jong-un’s health,” the paper said. “At the time, he also returned the matchstick he used back to the matchbox he was holding.”

In this photo released by the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of Pyongyang's ruling Workers' Party, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un waves farewell to Chinese officials in Beijing as he boards his armored train back to return home on Jan. 9, 2019, after the conclusion of his fourth summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. [YONHAP]

Nikkei reported that when Kim stays in hotels during summits, aides meticulously remove any biological traces, such as hair or saliva, and completely sanitize all utensils he used to eliminate DNA residue.

He also avoids touching objects prepared by host nations. During summit signings, Kim uses pens brought by his own aides rather than those provided on-site to prevent fingerprint collection, according to the report.

North Korea also takes extreme disinfection measures. During the 2018 inter-Korean summit, Kim’s aides were seen spraying disinfectant on his chair and wiping down the seat, armrests and backrest multiple times, even spraying disinfectant into the air, Nikkei noted.

A South Korean official familiar with North Korean affairs told the newspaper, “The leader’s health information has a major impact on the North Korean regime,” adding, “North Korea puts extraordinary effort into sealing off the biological data of its top leader, whether it be hair or bodily waste.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY JEONG HYE-JEONG [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]