Kim Jong Un's arrival in China for his first ever multilateral meeting was always going to make headlines. But it was the smartly-dressed girl standing just behind him as he exited his armoured train which caught Korea watchers' attention: Kim Ju Ae, the North Korean leader's daughter.
According to South Korea's spy agency, Miss Kim is her father's most likely successor. But details - including her exact age - are thin on the ground. So what exactly do we know?
Miss Kim has, for a number of years, been believed to be the second of Kim Jong Un's and his wife, Ri Sol-Ju's, three children. The exact number, and their order, is by no means certain, however, Kim is very secretive about his family, only introducing his wife to the public after they had been married for some time.
Kim Ju Ae is their only child whose existence has been confirmed by the country's leadership. No other child has been seen in public.
News of her existence first emerged through an unlikely source: the basketball player Dennis Rodman, who revealed to The Guardian newspaper back in 2013 that he held their baby Ju Ae during a trip to the secretive state.
Little was then heard about her until November 2022, when she appeared alongside her father at the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). By February the next year, she was appearing on postage stamps and attending banquets for top officials - described as Kim Jong Un's respected daughter.
South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) provided lawmakers with a few extra details on the little girl at around the same time. They said she enjoyed horse riding, skiing and swimming, and was home-schooled in the capital Pyongyang. They suggested she was around 10 years old.
Since her first public appearance, she has been seen at several significant events with her father, receiving military salutes and high regard from officials. This visibility has led to increasing speculation regarding her role as a potential leader in a regime that has never known female leadership.
As Kim Ju Ae continues to appear alongside her father, the question remains: can this young girl navigate the complexities of North Korean politics and potentially guide her nation in the future?
