Kim's daughter seen during North Korea missile launch

North Korea unveiled the little-known daughter of its leader Kim Jong Un at the Friday launch of Pyongyang's newest intercontinental ballistic missile.

State media KCNA reported on Saturday that Kim attended the launch "together with his beloved daughter and wife".

Pictures released by the North's main Rodong Sinmun newspaper showed a young girl in a white puffer jacket and red shoes walking hand-in-hand with Kim ahead of a huge missile atop a launch truck.

The latest pictures have attracted attention on a fourth-generation member of the dynastic family that has ruled North Korea for over seven decades as it is very rare for the state media to mention Kim's children.

Experts said that it is the first official confirmation that Kim had a daughter.

No further information on the girl, like her name and age, was provided.

The North Korean leader supervised the launch of a missile on Friday, which KCNA said was the Hwasong-17.

Analysts have dubbed it as "monster missile." KCNA said that the launch of the "new-type ICBM" was successful.

Kim said the test of a newly developed intercontinental ballistic missile confirmed that Pyongyang has another "reliable and maximum capacity" weapon to contain outside threats.

He warned the US and its allies that what he called their provocative steps would lead to "their self-destruction," state media said following the launch.

The private life of the reclusive country's 38-year-old leader has been a keen area of outside interest—with much of it still unknown.

South Korean media has reported that Kim married Ri Sol Ju in 2009 and the couple have three children born in 2010, 2013 and 2017.

The identities of Kim's children are of particular interest as he is yet to publicly anoint his heir apparent.

dvv/jcg (AFP, AP)