It wasn’t known which child Kim took to the launch site. But in 2013, after a trip to Pyongyang, retired NBA star Dennis Rodman told the British newspaper the Guardian that he and Kim had a “relaxing time by the sea” with the leader’s family and that he held Kim’s baby daughter, named Ju Ae.

The identities of Kim’s children are a source of strong outside interests as the 38-year-old ruler hasn't publicly anointed an heir apparent.

When he disappeared from public eye for an extended period in 2020 amid unconfirmed rumors about health conditions, global media frenzy flared over who was next in line to run an impoverished yet nuclear-armed country. Many observers said at the time that Kim's younger sister, Kim Yo Jong, would step in and run the country if her brother was incapacitated.

https://avatar2thewaywater.statuspage.io

https://avatar2enespana.statuspage.io

https://veravatarthewaywater2.statuspage.io

https://veronlineavatar2.statuspage.io

https://verpelisavatar2.statuspage.io

https://www.mixily.com/event/7654775340665566596

https://www.mixily.com/event/3447046826940028624

https://www.mixily.com/event/5088354470710912971

https://www.mixily.com/event/8915736094062684559

https://www.mixily.com/event/7696594466830354747

https://www.mixily.com/event/7820157845298895884

https://www.mixily.com/event/2592031255332492843

https://www.mixily.com/event/6229216079735836616

https://www.mixily.com/event/212364756727973046

https://www.mixily.com/event/1447533409576745268

https://www.mixily.com/event/2494873106516399514

https://www.mixily.com/event/5770722810167288711

https://www.mixily.com/event/6474961582339428857

https://www.mixily.com/event/8503617640981660022

https://www.mixily.com/event/5807284270164675761

https://www.mixily.com/event/5820741620515430946

https://www.mixily.com/event/9112064257299578915

https://www.mixily.com/event/4539597766241167574

https://www.mixily.com/event/6279200670705668996

https://www.mixily.com/event/2880074617728724018

https://www.mixily.com/event/7945698131755613026

https://www.mixily.com/event/6966788398874210093

https://www.mixily.com/event/825038124218118819

https://www.mixily.com/event/1163269927990143981

https://www.mixily.com/event/2872576613621271981

https://www.mixily.com/event/5020312436099132756

https://www.mixily.com/event/8703007285841023358

https://www.mixily.com/event/8848687760729143561

https://www.mixily.com/event/2460440294109944546

https://www.mixily.com/event/2910214407354390761

https://www.mixily.com/event/7348967849808282293

https://www.mixily.com/event/4148354874643648608

https://www.mixily.com/event/5575553521430929993

https://www.mixily.com/event/162043490108212663

https://www.mixily.com/event/2552706083113061872

https://www.mixily.com/event/8396660514428871907

https://www.mixily.com/event/2923823353156318982

https://www.mixily.com/event/5847178667914168306

https://www.mixily.com/event/8874542301797521067

https://www.mixily.com/event/4403867097530072524

https://www.mixily.com/event/8532804508298262945

The Kim family has governed North Korea with a strong personality following built around key family members since Kim’s grandfather, Kim Il Sung, founded the country in 1948. The family’s so-called Paektu bloodline, named after the North’s most sacred mountain, allows only direct family members to rule the country.

“It’s much too soon to infer anything about succession within the Kim regime," said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul. “However, publicly including his wife and daughter in what Kim claims as a historically successful missile test associates the family business of ruling North Korea with the nation’s missile programs.”

“This may be an attempt to compensate for how few economic accomplishments Kim has to support his domestic legitimacy,” Easley said.