By Bond Robertson 
Her name is Ju-ae and she may only be nine or ten years old. No one outside North Korea’s inner circle knows for sure.
The early hill: This past weekend, North Korean state media showed pictures of Kim Jong-un’s daughter for the first time.
Photo: Central News Agency/Reuters
She is most likely Kim Jong-un’s second child, the Associated Press writes.
Ju-ae was first shown to the public last weekend when she and her father were present during an international ballistic missile launch.
Hand in hand with her father, she walked through the huge rocket that was to be launched from a facility at the airport in the capital, Pyongyang.
New performance
Today, Ju-ae is back in action.
This time the two were to meet rocket engineers, technicians, officials and others who helped develop the Hwasong-17.
The North Korean state news agency KCNA describes Kim’s daughter as a “beloved child”. He was sent a series of photos of her and her father holding each other’s arms.
It is no coincidence: those who have been involved in the development of long-range missiles managed to meet the North Korean leader and his daughter today.
Photo: Central News Agency/Reuters
Some of the photos show the two soldiers in a row of uniformed soldiers in front of a large rocket.
Others show Ju Ae talking to her father, while people cheer in the background.
Mother Ri Sol-ju is not in any of the photos.
Possible successor?
An expert on North Korea believes that what is happening now in the closed country is really special.
A photo of Kim Ju-ae with her father as they are encouraged by the technicians and scientists working on the rocket launch supports the idea that she is now in a position to become a potential successor, says Ankit Panda of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
She wonders: Experts in North Korea are now speculating about how to understand the daughter’s behavior.
Photo: AP
And she does not believe that it is a coincidence that her first appearance is associated with strategic nuclear weapons. These are the main defenses of North Korea.
Experts in this country wonder if Kim outgrew his first-born and chose Joo-a as his successor.
If this happens, it will be a break with the traditions prevailing in Kim’s paternal family.
Today’s Kim is the third generation in a family that has ruled North Korea for more than 70 years.
The introduction of the daughter came as a surprise to most of the experts in this country.
Neither Kim nor his father were introduced as successors until they were adults.
Bet on nuclear weapons
Kim Jong Un has said his goal is to make North Korea the world’s most powerful nuclear power, state media reports.
Threats: According to state media, Kim Jong-un has promised to invest heavily in developing the country’s nuclear weapons.
Photo: AP
According to Reuters, he promised to avenge any threat from the United States with nuclear weapons.
Kim claims that developing a nuclear power is necessary to protect the country’s dignity and sovereignty.
A week and a half ago, the international reaction was strong at that time North Korea has tested a long-range missile.
The Hwasong-17 missile could theoretically reach the US mainland. The test launch prompted the United States to ask the UN Security Council to issue a statement on the North Korean tests.