On Tuesday, Kim arrived in Beijing in a luxury, armor-plated train for his fourth summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The trip began on Kim's birthday — Chinese state media said he turned 35 — but his visit has greater significance than blowing out a few candles.
This appears to be following a pattern set last year, when Kim's meetings with the Chinese president directly preceded historic summits with Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in.
This time, it comes ahead of an expected second summit between Trump and Kim that is likely to take place in the next month or two.