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North Korea’s state media said Kim Jong Un supervised an offensive tactical drill that included tank units and infantry troops, and the latest joint public appearance by Kim and his teenage daughter has drawn fresh outside speculation about succession.

The Korean Central News Agency reported Friday that Kim oversaw the drill involving tank units and infantry troops a day earlier and called for completing war preparations, according to the AP report.

Video and images released by North Korea’s state media showed Kim’s daughter with her head out of the driver’s hatch of a moving, olive-green tank, while Kim Jong Un sat on top with three soldiers. Outside observers focused on the staging, saying her position in the driver’s area suggested she was controlling the armored vehicle, though they also noted that modern tanks can be simpler to operate in limited, slow movements.

Lee Illwoo, an expert with the Korea Defense Network in South Korea, said in an AP interview that the girl “only drove straight at a low speed.” He also said, “It’s also easy to drive modern tanks, and I think it was easier for her to drive as she was on a flat ground.”

The girl has been identified by outside reporting as Kim Ju Ae and described as about 13 years old. AP reported that she has accompanied her father to multiple high-profile military and other events since late 2022, and that North Korean state media has described her as Kim’s “most beloved” or “respected” child.

AP also said North Korea has previously shown her attending other military-related activities, including firing pistols during a visit to a light munitions factory and watching a live-fire test of multiple rocket launch systems. AP added that she traveled with her father to Beijing in September and that, during New Year’s Day celebrations, she kissed him on the cheek.

The drumbeat of appearances coincides with renewed pressure in the region over military readiness. AP reported that North Korea’s training came as the U.S. and South Korea were engaged in their annual military exercises, a campaign North Korea characterizes as an invasion rehearsal; the U.S. and South Korea wrapped up an 11-day computer-simulated command post exercise on Thursday but continued field training.

While South Korea’s spy agency assessed last month that Kim Jong Un was close to designating his daughter as an heir, AP reported that some experts have disagreed with that assessment, citing Kim’s relatively young age and North Korea’s strongly male-dominated power structure.

As North Korea continues to present high-profile family scenes alongside military training, analysts will likely continue to weigh how much of the messaging is about operational preparation and how much is designed to communicate what kind of succession trajectory the leadership intends.