North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has left for military parade in China, Yonhap reports

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un left Pyongyang by train on Monday afternoon to attend a military parade in China, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency said.

This marks a rare trip out of the isolated state for his first attendance at a major multilateral diplomatic event.

Kim is expected to arrive in Beijing on Tuesday, Yonhap said.

At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, the North Korean leader is due to attend the military parade in Beijing on Wednesday to celebrate the formal surrender of Japan in World War Two, state media said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has cultivate a close relationship with Kim, will also be at the parade.