Meet Kim Jong Un's 'precious' child Ju Ae - and possibly his likely successor

In her second public appearance in a week, Kim Ju Ae and her father posed for photos with soldiers and missile scientists, as she was described by state media as his "most beloved" or "precious" child.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's daughter has appeared in public for the second time in a week.

In the latest appearance, Kim Ju Ae and her father posed for photos with soldiers and missile scientists, as she was described by state media as his "most beloved" or "precious" child.

The comments appear to be even more glowing than last week's description of her being his "beloved" child.

It was also seen as being a more mature appearance than when she was seen in public for the first time last weekend, holding her father's hand and pictured with her mother Ri Sol Ju.

So who is the youngster who some believe could be being primed to become her dad's successor as leader of the regime one day?

Thought to be Kim Jong Un's middle child

Ju Ae is thought to be aged about nine and is the second of Mr Kim's rumoured three children.

South Korean media has previously speculated the leader has three kids - born in 2010, 2013 and 2017 - and that the first child is a son while the third is a daughter.

North Korea has made no mention of Mr Kim's reported two other children.

Ju Ae is highly likely to be the child who retired US basketball star Dennis Rodman saw during his trip to the capital Pyongyang in 2013.

After that visit, Rodman told The Guardian that he and Mr Kim had a "relaxing time by the sea" with the leader's family and that he held Mr Kim's baby daughter, named Ju Ae.

Could she really be Kim Jong Un's successor?

The North's official Korean Central News Agency said on Sunday that Ju Ae and her father had met experts involved in what it called a test launch of its Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile.

Author Ankit Panda, from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace thinktank, said the image of Ju Ae standing alongside her father and experts involved in the launch "would support the idea that this is the start of her being positioned as a potential successor".

He added: "Both of her initial public appearances have been in the context of strategic nuclear weapons - the crown jewels of North Korea's national defence capabilities. That doesn't strike me as coincidental."

Based on previous leaders, any children will need education and "on the job" experience before they can be considered for supreme leadership, and in about 10 years Ju Ae is expected to have started an official career, according to Michael Madden, director of North Korea Leadership Watch.