Kim Jong-un Dad and daughter outing hints at succession plans

Kim Jong-un's carefully crafted image as a man of the people, armed with nuclear weapons, came full circle at the weekend with his daughter's surprise appearance at the launch of a long-range missile.

- Justin McCurry

Images showing Kim holding the hand of the young girl eclipsed the test-firing of a Hwasong-17, the regime's biggest intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), sparking speculation about the future of the dynasty that has ruled North Korea for more than seven decades.

South Korean officials identified her as Ju-ae, who is rumoured to be the second of three children including a boy and another girl and aged about 10, according to South Korea's intelligence agency. Others have said she is 12 or 13.

On Saturday, she was seen holding her father's hand as the ICBM left its launch site, accompanied by her mother, Ri Sol-ju. Everything about her public debut was carefully choreographed, right down to a white, black and red outfit that matched the colours of the missile.

State media said her appearance - the first official confirmation that Kim has children - underlined that the regime's nuclear deterrent was intended to "protect our children" from a US attack, describing its stockpile as "monuments to be passed down to our descendants for generations".

But the state media's focus on symbolism did little to dampen speculation that Kim, who is in his late 30s and has battled bouts of poor health, is beginning to think about his successor.