North Korean media has published a photograph of leader Kim Jong Un with a girl said to be his daughter. The pair are pictured observing the test-firing of a new intercontinental ballistic missile.

This is the first time North Korea has released an image of one of the leader's children.

Saturday's edition of the ruling Workers' Party newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, featured Friday's launch of a Hwasong-17 missile, with photos of Kim and his daughter at the test site.

The paper praised Kim, together with his "beloved" daughter and wife, for inspiring scientists and fighters.

One of the photographs shows Kim walking hand in hand with a young girl wearing a white coat and red shoes, with a missile in the background. Another image features the same girl standing between Kim and his wife, Ri Sol Ju.

South Korea's National Intelligence Service says Kim and his wife, who married in 2009, have three children, two girls and a boy.