North Korean President Kim Jong Un has promoted his younger sister Kim Yo Jong to head a party committee after many years holding the position of deputy, according to North Korean news agency KCNA on February 24.
KCNA said that Ms. Kim Yo Jong was appointed head of an unclear committee at the first plenary session of the new Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK).
The meeting took place on February 23 within the framework of the IXth National Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea and decided on a series of changes in senior leadership positions.
Her name tops the list of 11 alternate Politburo members published in Rodong Sinmun - the mouthpiece of the Workers' Party of Korea. She is also ranked 12th out of 17 heads of party committees - a group including official Politburo members.
However, state media did not specify which department she would be in charge of. Previously, she was confirmed as Deputy Head of the Propaganda and Mobilization Department.
In the past decade, one of Kim Yo Jong's prominent missions has been to make tough statements, expressing North Korea's consistent stance towards South Korea and the United States through state media.
As Kim Jong Un's younger sister, she maintains a special relationship with this leader, regularly appearing beside him at public events, directly supporting and believed to oversee propaganda-related activities.
Notably, absent from the list of newly appointed senior leaders are key figures such as North Korean National Assembly Chairman Choe Ryong Hae, senior military officials Pak Jong Chon and Ri Pyong Chol, and official in charge of nuclear weapons development Hong Sung Mu.
However, these people still appeared in the stands behind Kim Jong Un at the congress or chaired thematic sessions on February 23, although they were said to have been withdrawn from the Central Executive Committee at the Congress on February 22.
Another notable promotion is Mr. Jong Kyong Thaek - who is considered the second highest-ranking official in the Central Military Commission, only after Chairman Kim Jong Un.
