North Korea’s Kim Jong Un lining up schoolgirl daughter to be his successor

Appearing in public for only the fourth time, Kim Ju Ae, who is believed to be nine or ten years old, stood closely with the country’s leader as he showed off the “irresistible might” of his nuclear-armed military.

She previously attended a flight test of an intercontinental ballistic missile in November and accompanied her father to a meeting with military scientists and a missile inspection.

This has raised speculation internationally that the young girl, described by State media as “respected” and “beloved”, is being primed as her father's successor.

North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency said Kim had visited the quarters of the Korean People's Army's general officers with his daughter where he praised his troops for maintaining the “strongest army in the world”.

State media photos taken of the banquet, which appeared to be held at Pyongyang's Yanggakdo Hotel, showed Kim and his daughter dressed alike in black suits and white dress shirts.

They were also seen holding hands as they walked down a red carpet alongside Kim's wife, Ri Sol Ju.

It was reported that in his speech Kim said it was his “greatest honour” be the supreme commander of an army that is “fulfilling (the) call of the times and history as the strongest army in the world”.

Kim’s comments were followed by an editorial in local media stating that the North's military is prepared to unleash a “super strong strike of unimaginable might to wipe out the origins of provocations without a trace” when facing enemy threats.

The newspaper said North Korea's ramped-up weapons tests and combat exercises last year were successful demonstrations of “overwhelming military might” that supports the government's principle of “power-to-power, all-out confrontation” against enemies.

Meanwhile, residents in Pyongyang are marking the anniversary by visiting the city's Mansu Hill where they have laid flowers to pay respect to the statues of their late leaders, Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, Kim’s grandfather and father.

North Korea recorded an unprecedented year in weapons testing last year with dozens of missiles fired in 2022 including potentially nuclear-capable systems designed to strike targets in South Korea and the US mainland.

In December, Kim called for an “exponential increase” in the number of the country's nuclear warheads, mass production of battlefield tactical nukes to target “enemy” South Korea and the development of more powerful intercontinental ballistic missiles that could reach the United States.

And just last week, North Korea's Foreign Ministry warned that the country is prepared to employ the “most overwhelming nuclear force” as it condemned US plans to expand its joint exercise with South Korea and deploy more advanced military assets like bombers and aircraft carriers to the region.