N. Korea reveals leader Kim's daughter for first time

SEOUL, Nov. 19 (Yonhap) -- North Korea revealed leader Kim Jong-un's daughter for the first time Saturday in photos showing them attending the test-firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) the previous day.

The North's state media reported that Kim inspected the launch of a Hwasong-17, the country's largest ballistic missile, at Pyongyang International Airport on Friday.

He was present at the scene "together with his beloved daughter and wife," the North's official Korean Central News Agency said.

Photos released by the news agency showed her daughter in a white winter jacket standing and walking, together with Kim in front of the missile sitting on a launcher. She was also seen watching her father instructing military officials.

It marked her first official appearance in state media.

North Korea has never confirmed the existence of Kim's children though it was speculated that Kim and his wife, Ri Sol-ju, gave birth to children in 2010, 2013 and 2017.

The KCNA reported Kim declared a resolute nuclear response to threats by the United States during the on-site inspection. The new type of the Hwasong-17 flew 999.2 kilometers for 4,135 seconds at an apogee of 6,040.9 km and landed in the international waters of the East Sea, it said.

"The test-fire clearly proved the reliability of the new major strategic weapon system to be representative of the DPRK's strategic forces and its powerful combat performance as the strongest strategic weapon in the world," it said in an English-language report.

The DPRK is the acronym for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Kim was quoted as saying that the launch of the ICBM has reaffirmed his regime's acquisition of a powerful and reliable capability to counter any nuclear threat.

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