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Updated September 30th, 2021 at 14:19 IST

Kim Jong Un’s sister promoted to North Korea's top decision-making body: Report

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s younger sister, Kim Yo Jong, has been promoted to the nation’s top decision-making body, according to KCNA.

Reported by: Bhavya Sukheja
Kim Yo Jong
IMAGE: AP | Image:self
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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s younger sister, Kim Yo Jong, has been promoted to the nation’s top decision-making body. According to North Korea’s state-run media outlet KCNA, Kim Yo Jong is now a member of the State Affairs Commission (SAC), which is the country’s ruling body headed by Kim Jong Un. It is to mention that she was already one of Pyongyang’s most important political figures and a key adviser to her brother. However, now a seat on SAC is the highest official position she has ever held and she is also the only woman in the commission.

According to KCNA, along with Kim Yo Jong, seven others have also been promoted as part of a shake-up of the SAC. Nine members were retired or demoted. 82-year-old Pak Pong Ju, who was Kim Jong’s economic policymaker for the past decade, was retired, while Ri Pyong Chol, the driver of North Korea’s weapons program and top military commander, was demoted. Now, according to reports, his place has been taken by military general Pak Jong Chon, who had been overseeing the development of new weapons for the secretive nation. 

Kim Yo Jong’s elevation to SAC

Meanwhile, coming back to Kim Yo Jong’s promotion, her elevation to North Korea’s core committee of decision-makers appears to officially cement her role in the nation’s leadership. Earlier, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service had assessed her to be North’s "de facto second in command", however her official status has always been unclear. Experts believe that Kim Yo Jong is one of her brother’s most powerful and trusted confidants. 

Previously, Kim Yo was the face of North Korea’s delegation at the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea where she met with President Moon Jae-In. She also helped with laying the groundwork for the first summit between Moon and Kim Jong. She was also at her brother’s side when he met then-US President Donald Trump. Recently, South Korea said that she had been put in charge of relations with Seoul and the US. 

Earlier this month, Kim Yo had demanded South Korea make “the correct choice” if it genuinely wants reconciliation and development in inter-Korean relations, including another summit. However, she also threatened to destroy bilateral ties if the South Korean President continued with "slander and detraction". Kim Yo had also warned the United States and South Korea to stop their “hostile” policy against North Korea. 

(Image: AP)


 

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Published September 30th, 2021 at 14:19 IST

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