Kim Jong-un Reveals Daughter for First Time in Public During North Korea's Latest Launch of New ICBM

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un showed his daughter to the public for the first time on Saturday via photos of the two holding hands moments before testing a massive ballistic missile.

State news agency KCNA reported on Saturday that North Korea tested a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Friday.

Kim Jong-un's daughter made a surprise appearance at the launch, as her father had never before acknowledged her existence. According to Reuters, experts say her sudden appearance supports the idea that nuclear weapons will be passed down to the fourth generation of Kims along with the totalitarian state's leadership.

The young girl is seen in photos with her father, looking up at the gigantic North Korean missile while wearing a white puffer coat. KCNA did not reveal the girl's identity. But experts believe the name of Kim Jong-un's daughter is Ju Ae, around 13 years old, as per Sky News.

What Is Kim Jong-Un's Intention in Revealing His Daughter?

Michael Madden, an expert on North Korean leadership at the Stimson Center in the United States, said, "This is the first observed occasion where we have seen Kim Jong Un's daughter at a public event." It shows Kim Jong Un's "comfort" in presenting his daughter to the world.

State media has never mentioned any of Kim's children, according to Shreyas Reddy, a correspondent for the North Korea monitoring website NK News. It is unknown who the North Korean leader's other children are or what their names are, but South Korean intelligence believes they were born in 2010 and 2017.

In a report of The Washington Post, Reddy said that Kim Jong un's daughter public revelation at an event as prominent as the launch of North Korea's biggest missile stands out even more." "Her first public appearance at such a young age is in itself significant and a break from tradition," Reddy said. While the timing is undeniably crucial, the ultimate goal remains unclear.

Since the country's founding by his grandfather, Kim Il Sung, in 1948, Kim Jong Un has ruled it for eleven years and is the third generation of his family to do so, according to The Post.

North Korea's ICBM Can Hit US Mainland

The "new" North Korean missile in the photos was a Hwasong-17 that took off from Pyongyang International Airfield.

Following Friday's launch, Japan issued a warning, stating that it appeared the new missile might be able to fly to the US mainland.

According to the KCNA report, Kim claimed the test was meant to "clearly demonstrate" his nation's capability to counter what he called the "hysteric aggression war drills" by the adversaries.

North Korea has fired an ICBM before that experts and officials have estimated could theoretically reach the US. According to Japanese officials, Friday's launch landed about 210 kilometers (130 miles) west of the Japanese island of Oshima Oshima, CNN reported.

Pyongyang's March 24 North Korean missile test had the highest altitude and longest duration of any North Korean missile test, per the report. Friday's missile was shorter in altitude and distance. According to a report by KCNA, the missile travelled 1,090 kilometers (681 miles) and reached an altitude of 6,248.5 kilometers (3,905 miles).

Tags

Kim jong un, North korea, Nuclear weapons