Kim Jong Un’s sister Kim Yo Jong elevated in party shake-up amid succession speculation

Kim Yo Jong’s rising political clout

The sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been elevated within the ruling party hierarchy during a rare congress, according to state media reports on Tuesday.

Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the Workers’ Party Central Committee on Monday appointed Kim Yo Jong – formerly a deputy department director – as a full department director.

The announcement followed the arrival of thousands of party officials in the capital, Pyongyang, for the once-in-five-years congress of the ruling Workers’ Party. The gathering sets the direction of state policy across a broad spectrum, from diplomacy to military planning.

Such meetings offer a rare glimpse into the inner workings of one of the world’s most secretive political systems and are widely viewed as an opportunity for Kim Jong Un to reinforce his authority.

At the same congress, Kim Jong Un was re-elected to the party’s top post, with delegates praising him for expanding the country’s nuclear arsenal and enhancing its standing in the region.

Who is Kim Yo Jong?

Kim Yo Jong has long been regarded as one of her brother’s most trusted confidantes and ranks among the most powerful women in the tightly controlled state.

According to the South Korean government, she was born in the late 1980s and is one of three children of former leader Kim Jong Il. She was educated in Switzerland alongside her brother and rose swiftly through the ranks after he assumed power following their father’s death in 2011.

Her profile has risen further amid reports that Kim Jong Un may soon introduce North Korea’s next leader.

South Korea’s intelligence agency has indicated that Kim Jong Un’s teenage daughter, Kim Ju Ae, is being positioned as a potential successor. Such a move could, in time, place her in competition with her influential aunt, Kim Yo Jong, in any future struggle over the country’s leadership.

(With agency inputs)