Kim Jong Un and his teenage daughter, Kim Ju Ae, were pictured watching North Korea’s latest cruise missile tests.Images from state news agency KCNA show the North Korean leader and the child in a conference room looking at a screen showing weapons being fired from the Choe Hyon, a year-old naval destroyer.
The outlet did not name his daughter, but said Mr Kim underscored the need to maintain “a powerful and reliable nuclear war deterrent” after watching the tests.
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Pics: KCNA/AP
Earlier this month, it was reported that Mr Kim appeared to be taking steps to name his daughter, Kim Ju Ae, as his successor.Read more: Who is Kim Ju Ae?
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) said it believes the girl, thought to be around 13 years old, is already providing input on policy matters.The teenager has been increasingly visible over the last year, attending missile launches alongside her father and, in 2025, at China’s “Victory Day” parade, which marked her international debut.
It comes as Kim Yo Jong – Mr Kim’s sister and senior official – threatened a response to US-South Korean military drills that got under way this week.According to KCNA, she warned the drills reveal the US and South Korea’s “inveterate repugnancy toward” North Korea, and threatened Pyongyang will “convince the enemies of our war deterrence.”
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The 11-day US-South Korean drill that began Monday is largely a computer-simulated command post exercise and will be accompanied by a field training programme.It comes after Mr Kim said last month that North Korea could “initiate arbitrary action” and “completely destroy” South Korea if its security was threatened.He added that South Korea’s “complete collapse cannot be ruled out”.South Korean President Lee Jae Myung responded at the time by saying the value his country needs to espouse is peace.
