Seoul, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his teenage daughter observed tests of strategic cruise missiles fired from a warship, state media reported Wednesday, as North Korea threatened responses to US-South Korean military drills.
Pictures sent by the Korean Central News Agency showed two people in a conference room watching on a screen as weapons were fired from the naval destroyer Cho Hyeon.
Kim Jong Un watched the missile launches by video on Tuesday and stressed the need to maintain a “powerful and reliable nuclear deterrent,” KCNA reported in the dispatch, which did not mention his daughter.
Kim Ju A and the girl, who is about 13 years old, have accompanied her father to several major events since late 2022, including military parades and weapons launches. South Korea’s spy agency last month assessed Kim Jong Un as close to appointing him as his successor.
KCNA said the missiles hit target islands off North Korea’s west coast. Kim Jong Un mentioned that the launches were intended to demonstrate the Navy’s strategic offensive posture and familiarize the Army with the weapons firing.
Kim Jong Un personally watched similar cruise missile launches from Cho Han last week, but his daughter was not seen at the sight.
Tuesday’s missile firings followed the start of spring US-South Korean military drills, which North Korea views as an invasion rehearsal.
On Tuesday, Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong Un’s sister and a senior official, warned that the drills would again expose the “necessary aversion” of the US and South Korea toward North Korea. North Korea will “convince the enemy of our war resistance,” he said.
The 11-day Freedom Shield drill, which began on Monday, is mostly a computer-simulated command post exercise and is accompanied by a field training program. North Korea often responds to two sets of exercises with its own weapons tests.
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