The sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is reported by officials to have been promoted to head the reclusive country’s powerful state security apparatus.
News of Kim Yo Jong’s elevation first emerged in December, when she was spotted next to the senior Kim at a concert in the capital Pyongyang.
Who you sit next to is seen as a key indicator of where you stand in the leadership hierarchy of North Korea, a country where optics are all-important.
Kim Yo Jong, right, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, is now reported to hold one of the most powerful position s in the country
One of Kim Yo Jong’s main roles up until now has been to protect her brother’s image
Kim Yo Jong is now reported to be in charge of North Korea’s security, deciding who should be prosecuted
North Korean officials quoted in the South Korean paper Chosunlbo suggested that another indication of her rise was also seen last month at the ruling Worker’s Party congress, where she was spotted sitting next to her brother’s right-hand man, Choe Ryong-hae.
Her new position means that she heads the State Security Department overseeing police and prosecutions. The department has been under party control since its previous head Jang Song-taek – Kim Jong-un’s uncle – was executed in 2013.
News of the appointment of Kim Yo Jong, believed to be in her early 30s, is the culmination of weeks of speculation surrounding the role. It is thought that she was promoted to North Korea’s politburo – the country’s top decision-making body – in October.
Kim Kim Yo Jong (left) is reported to enjoy a close relationship with her brother, the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un
Kim Yo Jong is now being tipped to lead North Korea’s Olympic delegation in February, which would make her the first member of the Kim family to go to South Korea
Her rise has made her one of North Korea’s most influential women, and could mean that she she has replaced her aunt Kim Kyong-hee, who was a key decision-maker during the tenure of her father, the former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.
Kim Yo-jong is the youngest daughter of the late leader, and shares the same mother as Kim Jong-un and brother Kim Jong-chol, according to North Korea Leadership Watch.
Born in 1987, she is said to be very close to Mr Kim – four years her senior. The pair lived and studied in Berne, Switzerland at the same time.
She is believed to be married to the son of Choe Ryong-hae, the powerful party secretary.
One of her main roles up until now has been to protect her brother’s image, taking a key role in the Worker’s Party propaganda department in 2014, where she is believed to have managed his itineraries, attended public ceremonies and served as a political adviser.
In October 2015 she was reported to have been sacked from the propaganda department by Mr Kim for doing a poor job.
She is now being tipped to lead North Korea’s Olympic delegation in February, which would make her the first member of the Kim family to go to South Korea.