North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has appeared in public with his young daughter for the first time, confirming long-rumored rumors of her existence.
The girl, believed to be Kim Chu-ae, joined him on Friday in inspecting the launch of the country’s largest intercontinental ballistic missile.
The couple stood hand in hand during the test, which was condemned by the US.
Mr. Kim leads one of the world’s most secretive states, and little is known about his personal life.
North Korea’s state news agency released several photos showing the two holding hands as they chatted, spoke with officials, inspected missiles and launched from the viewing deck. Keep watching.
Michael Madden, a North Korea expert at the Stimson Center in Washington, D.C., said Cho-A’s public appearance is remarkable.
Mr Madden told JEE News that Mr Kim – the third generation of his family to lead North Korea – was showing his country’s elite that he still had a firm grip on power.
He said it could be Mr Kim’s way of showing that “the fourth generation of succession to power is going to pass through my [blood] line”.
Mr Madden explained that this came after reports that “there was some sort of conflict between [Mr Kim] and other elite associates in 2021.
“If you challenge me, you’re going down,” is Mr. Kim’s message, he said.
Mr Madden said he believed Chu-Ae was between 12 and 13, meaning she would be preparing to go to university or military service in about four to five years.
In September, several North Korea experts reported that Cho-ae was featured in a video during the country’s National Day celebrations.
But these were speculations, and the North Korean leadership did not confirm that it was indeed the leader’s daughter.
Cho-A’s existence was first mentioned in 2013, when retired American basketball star Dennis Rodman made a controversial visit to North Korea.
Mr Rodman said he had spent time with Mr Kim’s family relaxing by the sea and “holding his baby Cho-ae”.
Experts believe Mr Kim may have had as many as three children – two girls and a boy, with Cho-ae being the oldest.
But the leader is extremely secretive about his family — even his wife, Ri Sol-joo, was kept a secret until sometime after the couple married.
