Kim Jong-un took his daughter with him on a visit to a missile launch vehicle factory this week (Picture: AFP)
Kim Jong-un has long been making it a daddy-daughter day at work.
The North Korean leader has often taken Kim Ju-ae along to all kinds of events, whether it’s to watch a missile test launch or visit the space headquarters.
Thursday was another one of those days.
When the father and child duo went to an air show in December, they wore matching leather trench coats.
And they’ve been at it again with the synchronised wardrobe choices – this time opting to don similar fluffy-necked coats during a visit to a missile-launch vehicle production plant.
With his daughter Kim Ju-ae, who is reportedly about 10 years old, in tow, Kim Jong-un gazed at absolutely massive trucks with even bigger missile casing on top of them.
Both were dressed in all black, but were perhaps most notably seen keeping their necks toasty with their latest fashion statement.
Kim Ju-ae wore matching fluffy neckwear when she joined her father at the production plant on Thursday (Picture: Reuters)
She was checking out the enormous missile-topped trucks (Picture: STR/KCNA VIA KNS/AFP via Getty Images)
Kim Ju-ae was taking it all in as she glanced up at the mammoth nuclear weaponry while her dad even sat inside one of the vehicles.
He told North Korea’s state news agency KCNA that boosting production of various missile launch vehicles was an ‘important task’ to prepare for ‘a military showdown with the enemy’.
Describing it as a ‘prevailing grave situation that requires the country to be more firmly prepared’, Kim-Jong-un outlined that task the transporter erector factory will fulfil.
Just a matter of days ago, the pair were also snapped sitting next to each other at the country’s New Year celebrations.
Kim Jong-un couldn’t resists getting inside one of the vehicles (Picture: Reuters)
Daddy and daughter were all smiles (Picture: STR/KCNA VIA KNS/AFP via Getty Images)
It’s the increasing regularity with which they’ve been seen together that has prompted South Korea’s spy agency to issue a statement saying it considers her his likely successor.
For the first time, the nation’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) confirmed it believes Kim-Ju-ae is probably the heir to the supreme leader role north of the border.
‘Based on a comprehensive analysis of public activities and the level of respect for Kim Ju-ae since her initial public appearance, at present, she appears to be the most likely successor,’ said the NIS.
‘But we are keeping our eyes open for all possibilities because Kim Jong-un is still young, has no major health problems, and there are many variables.’
South Korea’s NIS said it considers Kim Jong-un’s daughter his likely successor (Picture: STR/KCNA VIA KNS/AFP via Getty Images)
Analysts say introducing his daughter to the public early could be Kim Jong-un’s way of ensuring she establishes herself before taking power.
It could also be a way for Kim Jong-un to overcome prejudices in the deeply patriarchal North Korea which has never been led by a woman.
The visit to the factory came after the US claimed Russia had fired ballistic missiles supplied by North Korea into Ukraine.
Washington has for months accused Pyongyang of supplying military equipment to Moscow in return for Russia’s technical support to help the North advance its military capabilities.
In December, the pair also watched what North Korea said is an intercontinental ballistic missile launching from an undisclosed location alongside an official (Picture: AP)
North Korea has denied it transfers arms to Moscow.
During a key party meeting last week, Kim Jong-un ordered his country’s military, munitions industry and nuclear weapons sector to accelerate war preparations, as he said US policy was making a war inevitable.
‘Because of reckless moves by the enemies to invade us, it is a fait accompli that a war can break out at any time on the Korean peninsula,’ he said.
‘The grave situation requires us to accelerate works to acquire overwhelming war response capabilities and thorough and perfect military readiness to suppress any types of provocations by the enemies at a stroke.’
He also ominously warned: ‘If the enemy opts for military confrontation and provocation against the DPRK, our army should deal a deadly blow to thoroughly annihilate them by mobilising all the toughest means and potentialities without [a] moment’s hesitation.’
All of that might not quite entice people to visit his very own Benidorm-style holiday resort on the North Korean coast.
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It was daddy-daughter day at work again in North Korea… this time at a missile launch vehicle factory.