Kim Jong Un alongside daughter, watch over North Korea’s missile launch

Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea, personally oversaw the most potent intercontinental ballistic missile’s recent test-firing, state media images from Friday showed. He was accompanied by his daughter.

According to the official Korean Central News Agency, the launch on Thursday—second Pyongyang’s ICBM test this year—involved a Hwasong-17 missile and was shot in retaliation to “frantic” US-South Korea joint military exercises.

Images published in the official Rodong Sinmun newspaper showed Kim witnessing the Hwasong-17, called a “monster missile” by analysts, launch into the sky in black and white.

Others of the pictures showed him watching the launch with his daughter, who state media never named but who South Korean intelligence recognized as his second child Ju Ae.

Prior to this, South Korea claimed the missile was launched on a lofted trajectory, which is generally used to prevent overflying nearby nations.

Kim recently called for a “exponential” increase in the production of weapons, including tactical nukes. North Korea declared itself a “irreversible” nuclear power last year.

Kim, who oversaw the launch on Thursday, is reported to have declared that North Korea would “respond to nuclear weapons with nukes” and advocated for “irreversibly strengthening up the nuclear war deterrent”.

In addition, he emphasized the nation’s “quick response posture… to deal with any armed conflict and war,” according to KCNA.