North Korean tyrant Kim Jong-un and his 12-year-old daughter pose with a nuclear missile amid rumors that she could be his successor

North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un arrived with his 12-year-old daughter – fueling speculation that she may one day replace him as the hermit kingdom’s tyrannical ruler.

State media didn’t name the girl – they simply referred to her as Kim’s “beloved daughter” – but she is believed to be Ju Ae.

5

5

5

Photos showed the girl – believed to be Kim’s second child – in a black coat with a fur collar, linking her arms with her father.

The duo posed in front of the giant rocket surrounded by uniformed North Korean soldiers.

This is only her second public appearance.

And it’s fueled speculation that she could now become Kim’s heir, with no successor yet to be declared should the tyrant die.

Kim may have shed the pounds in recent years – but he’s believed to be suffering from a variety of health conditions, including diabetes and heart disease.

If he dies without naming a successor, it could create a power vacuum and shake up the tyrannical dynasty founded by his grandfather, Kim Il-sung.

Yang Moo-jin, a professor at Seoul University of North Korean Studies, said the daughter’s presence is meant to portray Hwasong-17 as a “protector of the future generation.”

“It seems he continues to flaunt his daughter on various occasions and uses her as a propaganda tool,” he added.

Kim also presented promotions to more than 100 officials and scientists for their work on the Hwasong-17 missile.

Analysts dubbed the “monster missile” and believed it could reach the US mainland.

And it came just days after Pyongyang tested it in one of its most powerful launches to date, when the missile reached hypersonic speeds.

Hailing the new ICBM as “the world’s most powerful strategic weapon,” Kim said North Korean scientists have taken a “wonderful leap forward.”

Kim vowed North Korea would create the “strongest strategic force in the world, the absolute power unprecedented in this century.”

He added that he wanted North Korea to have the “strongest army in the world.”

The launcher for the new Hwasong-17 ICBM was awarded the title of Hero of the DPRK.

It has “conclusively demonstrated to the world that the DPRK is a fully-fledged nuclear power,” the report said, adding that the North had “fully demonstrated its might as the most powerful ICBM state.”

Hong Min of the Korea Institute for National Unification said the North’s trumpet about the Hwasong-17 test firing is aimed at elevating its status as a nuclear power.

“If the (launch of) Hwasong-15 in 2017 was aimed at becoming a nation capable of threatening the US mainland with nuclear weapons, the latest missile is focused on becoming the most powerful ICBM state,” he said .

The UN Security Council has passed nearly a dozen resolutions since 2006 imposing sanctions on North Korea for its nuclear and missile activities.

At a photo session Saturday with officials and scientists who contributed to the missile’s successful test firing, Kim called for a “boundless boost in defense capabilities,” KCNA said in another report.

Kim urged scientists and workers to “expand and strengthen the country’s nuclear war deterrence at an exceptionally rapid rate.”

5

5