Kim Jong Un Has a New Girl on His Arm

The signals out of North Korea are getting stronger that Kim Jong Un has picked, or at least is grooming, a successor: His daughter, Ju Ae, believed to be his second child. The North Korean strongman put the girl front and center in photos distributed by state media at what CNN describes as a "lavish" banquet to mark the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Korean People's Army in its current form. The girl, who's believed to be around 9 or 10, would be the first female head of state in the family that's ruled North Korea since its founding in 1948.

The twosome were accompanied by Kim's wife, Ri Sol Ju, and a KCNA report describes Ju Ae as "beloved" and "respected," per the AP. Of note: The banquet preceded a military parade in which Kim was to showcase his latest hardware. Tying his daughter so prominently to a military event means "Kim wants observers at home and abroad to see his family dynasty and the North Korean military as irrevocably linked," a professor in South Korea tells CNN. (More Kim Jong Un stories.)