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When North Korea conducted an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch in mid-November, it wasn't just the long-range weapons that caught the attention of the world.
In pictures of the launch released by the rogue state, leader Kim Jong-un was accompanied by someone who had never been seen in public before: a young girl, believed to be around ten years old, decked out in a white puffer jacket and red shoes.
The girl is Kim's "beloved daughter", and she made a second appearance earlier this week, further sparking debate about whether she's being primed as the North Korean leader's heir and successor.
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What do we know about Kim's daughter?
The daughter is believed to be Kim's second child, named Ju Ae – although state media didn't confirm her name when publishing the pictures.
She's believed to be about nine or 10 years old, and was first unveiled to the outside world on November 19 in state media photos showing her observing the North's ICBM launch the previous day with her parents and other older officials.
The daughter was shown walking hand-in-hand with Kim past a huge missile loaded on a launch truck and watching a soaring weapon.
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The NIS – South Korea's intelligence service – determined she is Kim's second child because her looks matched information that she's taller and bigger than other girls who are the same age.
In the second release of images of the daughter, she was described as Kim's "most beloved" or "precious" child, a more honorific title than her previous description of "beloved".
While it's the first time Ju Ae was officially unveiled, it's not the first time her name has circulated.
After Dennis Rodman made a trip to Pyongyang in 2013, the former NBA star told The Guardian that he and Kim had a "relaxing time by the sea" with the leader's family and that he held Kim's baby daughter.
Her name? Ju Ae.
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How many other children does the North Korean leader have?
Much of Kim's private life is still unknown, and precious little indeed is known about his children.
South Korean media reported he married Ri Sol Ju, a former singer, in 2009, and that the couple have three children who were born in 2010, 2013 and 2017.
North Korea has made no mention of Kim's reported two other children, but it is believed that the eldest is male – a detail that has raised questions about his succession plan.
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Is Ju Ae going to succeed Kim as North Korean ruler?
Potentially, but it's really far too early to tell.
The identities of Kim's children are a source of strong outside interest because the 38-year-old ruler hasn't publicly anointed an heir apparent.
When he disappeared from the public eye for an extended period in 2020 amid unconfirmed rumours about health conditions, a global media frenzy flared over who was next in line to run an impoverished yet nuclear-armed country.
Many observers said at the time that Kim's younger sister, Kim Yo-jong, would step in and run the country if her brother was incapacitated.
But while one of Kim's children is most likely to take over as ruler when the time comes, succession speculation is complicated by the likelihood that Ju Ae has an older brother, according to Soo Kim, a security analyst at the California-based RAND Corporation.
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"We've been told that Kim has three children, including possibly a son. If this is true, and if we assume that the male child – who has yet to be revealed – will be the heir, is Ju Ae truly Kim's most 'precious,' from a succession standpoint?" she said.
"I think it is too early to draw any conclusions."
Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, agrees.
"It's much too soon to infer anything about succession within the Kim regime," he said.
"However, publicly including his wife and daughter in what Kim claims as a historically successful missile test associates the family business of ruling North Korea with the nation's missile programs.
"This may be an attempt to compensate for how few economic accomplishments Kim has to support his domestic legitimacy."
However, Ju Ae's unveiling is no doubt significant.
"Kim may be signalling to other North Korean elites that he is mentoring his daughter for a role in the leadership," Easley said.
"Giving her such an early and public start is unusual but reflects the historical and political significance Kim attaches to a nuclear missile that can reach the United States," he added.
– With Associated Press
Source: 9News
