Hong Kong(CNN)With his young daughter at this side at two splashy military events this week, Kim Jong Un told the world two things -- the Kim family will rule North Korea for another generation and it will have the nuclear weapons to make sure no one can challenge that.

The girl -- believed to be Kim's second child, Ju Ae, and around 9 years old -- joined the North Korean leader and his wife at a glitzy banquet at a Pyongyang military barracks on Tuesday night.

A day later she looked on as at least 11 intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) were paraded through KIm Il Sung Square in the North Korean capital.

Kim wants observers at home and abroad to see his family dynasty and the North Korean military as irrevocably linked," said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.

Meet the Kims

The Kim family's rule in North Korea stretches back to 1948, when Kim Il Sung came to power in the aftermath of World War II.

When Kim Il Sung died in 1994, his son Kim Jong Il took control -- and when Kim Jong Il died, in December 2011, his son Kim Jong Un came to power.

Western observers believe Kim Jong Un has three children and that Ju Ae is his middle child, though this can't be verified by anyone outside North Korea.

North Korean media reports of this week's military events described Ju Ae as Kim's "respected" and "beloved" child.

American basketball star Dennis Rodman revealed Kim had a baby called Ju Ae when he visited Pyongyang in 2013, telling The Guardian afterward, "I held their baby Ju Ae and spoke with (Kim's wife) as well."

The age of the baby Rodman held appears to fit the age of the girl at this week's events.

Isn't it a bit early for a successor?

There is historical precedent for Kim to identify his successor so early on, because that's what his father, Kim Jong Il, did with him, said Cheong Seong-chang, a senior analyst at the Sejong Institute in South Korea.

"It is known that Kim Jong Il told his aides that Kim Jong Un would be his successor while performing a song called 'Footsteps' to praise Kim Jong Un on his 8th birthday," Cheong said. However, he added that the outside world had not been aware of this at the time.

"Rumors and speculations circulated for a long time that Kim Jong Il's first son, Kim Jong Nam, or second son, Kim Jong Chol, would be the successor," Cheong said.

When did Kim's daughter take the spotlight?

Speculation that Ju Ae would be Kim's successor emerged last November when state media releasedpictures of her and Kim inspecting a North Korean ballistic missile before a test launch.

South Korean lawmaker and secretary of the National Intelligence Service Yoo Sang-bum said after that launch the girl was thought to be Ju Ae.

North Korean state media published a story later that month with pictures of Kim and his daughter, describing her as his "most beloved" child, Cheong said.

Pictures in North Korean media also showed the girl visiting a missile factory with her father near the end of 2022.