Kim Yo Jong
김여정
Kim in 2018
Member of the State Affairs Commission
Assumed office
September 2021
PresidentKim Jong Un
Deputy Director of the Publicity and Information Department
Assumed office
28 November 2014
General SecretaryKim Jong Un
Director
Preceded byRi Jae-il
Personal details
Born (1987-09-26) 26 September 1987
Pyongyang, North Korea
Political partyWorkers' Party of Korea (since 2007)
Spouse
Choe Song
​
(m. 2014)​
(alleged)
Children2 (alleged)
Parents
RelativesKim family
Alma materKim Il Sung University
SignatureSignature of Kim Yo-jong
Korean name
Chosŏn'gŭl
김여정
Hancha
Revised RomanizationGim Yeojeong
McCune–ReischauerKim Yŏjŏng

Kim Yo Jong (Korean: 김여정/金與正;[3] born 26 September 1987) is a North Korean politician and diplomat. She is the Deputy Department Director of the Publicity and Information Department of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). Since September 2021, she has been a member of State Affairs Commission of North Korea,[4] the only woman on the panel.[5]

She served as an alternate member of the Politburo of the Workers' Party of Korea from 2017 to 2019, and again from 2020 to 2021.

Kim is the youngest child of North Korea's second Supreme Leader Kim Jong Il and the younger sister of Kim Jong Un, the current supreme leader and WPK general secretary, and is considered by some commentators to be a possible successor.[6][7]

Early life

Kim Yo-jong is the youngest child of former North Korean leader Kim Jong Il and his consort, Ko Yong-hui.[8] The U.S. Treasury lists her birthdate as 26 September 1989,[9] while South Korean sources place her birth on 26 September 1987.[8][10] Born in Pyongyang,[3] she spent most of her early childhood at her mother's residence, growing up alongside her siblings.[8] Between 1996 and December 2000, Kim studied with her elder brothers at the Liebefeld-Steinhölzli public school in Bern, Switzerland, under the assumed name "Pak Mi-hyang".[11] During this time, she is believed to have developed a close relationship with her brother and future leader, Kim Jong Un.[12][13] After returning to Pyongyang, she completed a degree in computer science at Kim Il Sung University.[14]

Political career

In 2007, Kim was appointed as a junior cadre in the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), possibly working under her father or her aunt, Kim Kyong-hui.[8] In 2009 and 2010, she was active in establishing her father's hereditary succession campaign, also working in the National Defense Commission and in her father's personal secretariat.[8] Beginning in March 2009, she joined a group of close aides and family members that appeared at her father's side in his public appearances,[8] but her presence was rarely noted until September 2010, when she was identified among participants at the 3rd Conference of the WPK.[8]

Anonymous public appearances

Kim Yo-jong received much publicity during the funeral service for Kim Jong Il in December 2011, appearing alongside Kim Jong Un and leading groups of senior party officials in bowing at her father's casket.[11] At the beginning of 2012, she was reportedly given a position at the National Defence Commission as tour manager for her brother,[15] arranging his itineraries, schedule, logistical needs, and security arrangements. She did not appear in news reports of the time except in November 2012, when the Korean Central Television showed her accompanying Kim Jong Un and her aunt at a military riding ground.[16]

Public recognition

Kim Yo Jong received her first official mention in state media in March 2014, when she accompanied her brother in voting for the Supreme People's Assembly. She was named a "senior official" of the WPK Central Committee.[17] In October 2014, she was reported to have taken over state duties for her brother while he underwent medical treatment.[18] The next month, she was appointed First Deputy Director of the party's Propaganda and Agitation Department.[12]

Kim Yo-jong (far right, upper row), South Korean President Moon Jae-in and U.S. Vice President Mike Pence at the 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony

Leadership of the Propaganda and Agitation Department

In her role as vice-director at the department, Kim is responsible for "assisting in consolidating Kim Jong-un's power" by implementing "idolisation projects".[19] In July 2015, reports described her as playing the role of de facto leader of the department, with nominal director Kim Ki-nam in a supporting role.[19][20] She also holds a vice-ministerial post, but her portfolio is not known.[21] She regularly accompanies Kim Jong Un on his "field guidance" trips.[22]

Talks inside the Peace House in April 2018

She has been said to be the driving force behind the development of her brother's cult of personality, modeled after that of their grandfather, Kim Il Sung.[23] Thae Yong-ho, a North Korean defector and former diplomat, said in 2017 that Kim Yo-jong organized all major public events in North Korea. She was said to have encouraged her brother to present an image of a "man of the people" with, for example, rides on fairground attractions and his friendship with basketball star Dennis Rodman.[24][25]

In January 2017, she was placed on the United States Department of the Treasury's Specially Designated Nationals List in response to alleged human rights abuses in North Korea.[26]

Ascension to the Politburo

In October 2017, Kim Yo-jong was made an alternate member of the Politburo,[27] only the second woman to be appointed to this decision-making body.[28] As previously speculated,[29] her ascension to the country's supreme governing body may indicate that she is Kim Jong Un's replacement for his aunt, Kim Kyong-hui (with whom Kim Yo-jong is said to have a good relationship),[30] who has not played an active role in his regime.[25] It has also been hinted that her newly assigned position would also put her in charge of the State Security Department.[31]

Special envoy of Kim Jong-un

On 9 February 2018, Yo-jong attended the 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in Pyeongchang, South Korea. This was the first time since the Korean War that a member of the ruling Kim dynasty had visited South Korea.[32] She met with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on 10 February and revealed that she was dispatched as a special envoy of Kim Jong Un. She also delivered a personally written letter from Kim to Moon.[33] Kim was later part of her brother's team during the 2018 North Korea–United States Singapore Summit[34] and the 2019 North Korea–United States Hanoi Summit. Her involvement in diplomatic affairs continued as she issued an official statement in March 2020 from her capacity as first deputy department director of the party.[35]

According to Kim Yong-hyun, a professor of North Korean studies at Dongguk University in Seoul, and others, the promotion of Kim Yo-jong and others is a sign that "the Kim Jong-un regime has ended its coexistence with the remnants of the previous Kim Jong-il regime by carrying out a generational replacement in the party's key elite posts".[25] Tom O'Connor of Newsweek echoed this opinion, writing that Kim Yo-jong's rise to power was part of Kim Jong Un's overall plan to appoint younger people in place of his father's older elites who may have harboured doubts about the younger Kim Jong Un's ability to lead North Korea.[36]

Kim with her brother meeting US President Donald Trump at the 2018 Singapore Summit

Activities since 2019

Kim was elected to the Supreme People's Assembly during the 2019 North Korean parliamentary election,[37] representing Killimgil.[38] In April of the same year, she was briefly removed from the Politburo, before being reinstated in April 2020.[39] She was excluded again from the Politburo elected after the 8th Party Congress and demoted from the first deputy department director to deputy department director on 10 January 2021.[40][41][42] But some commentators and analysts say her influence in the government remains unchanged.[43][44]

On 8 July 2020, Lee Kyung-jae, an attorney with the South Korean law firm Dongbuka, sued Kim for her involvement in the demolition of the Inter-Korean Liaison Office. Lee also sued Pak Jon-chong, Chief of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army. Lee added that Kim had ordered the liaison office destroyed and was "ultimately responsible" for its destruction.[45][46]

In March 2021, Kim condemned virtual joint military drills held in South Korea, calling them a "serious challenge."[47] She also warned the administration of President Joe Biden, saying, "If it wants to sleep in peace for the coming four years, it had better refrain from causing a stink at its first step."[48] Kim threatened to decommission the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country and to shutter the Kumgangsan International Travel "and other organizations concerned as any cooperation and exchange with the South Korean authorities antagonizing us are no longer necessary." Kim also said these measures have been reported to Kim Jong Un.[49]

In September 2021, it was reported that Kim was promoted to be a member of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea.[4][50]

In September 2022, in response to South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol's offer to economically aid the DPRK in exchange for denuclearization, Kim made a speech before the Assembly on behalf of her brother recommending that Yoon "shut his mouth", commenting that Yoon had "nothing better to say". She additionally blamed the South for introducing COVID-19 to the country, and threatened that if the virus returned to North Korea, she would retaliate against South Korea.[51]

In September 2023, Kim Yo-jong accompanied Kim Jong Un at a summit in Russia with Russian President Vladimir Putin. She was seen with Kim Jong Un as he signed a visitor book at Vostochny Cosmodrome.[52]

Internet attention

In April 2020, rumors of Kim Jong Un's ill health brought attention to Kim Yo-jong as a possible successor of the government's leadership in North Korea.[53][54] During this period, she gained significant attention on social media including memes, informational videos and 'stanning'.[55][56] In August, she gained additional attention on social media when Kim Jong Un was reported to have been in a coma.[7]

Personal life

In late 2014, she reportedly married Choe Song,[57] the second son of government official Choe Ryong-hae.[58] Choe Song is thought to be a fellow alumnus of Kim Il Sung University and either an official at Room 39 of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) or an employee at a military unit responsible for guarding the country's leader.[21] Kim Yo-jong reportedly gave birth to a child in May 2015.[25] During the 2018 Winter Olympics, Kim was reported to have disclosed being pregnant.[59]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "북한 김여정의 한자이름은 '金與正'". 4 April 2014. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  2. ↑ "문재인 대통령이 2월 10일 청와대를 방문한 김여정 북한 노동당 중앙위 제1부부장에게서 김정은 노동당 위원장의 친서를 받았다". Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  3. 1 2 김여정(여성). 북한정보포털 (in Korean). 통일부. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  4. 1 2 Kwon, Jake; Regan, Helen (30 September 2021). Written at Seoul. "Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader, promoted to nation's top ruling body". CNN. New York City: WarnerMedia. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  5. ↑ "Kim Yo Jong Becomes Member of the State Affairs Commission (SAC) – October 1, 2021". The Daily News Brief. 1 October 2021. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  6. ↑ "Kim Jong Un's sister fans flames of inter-Korean tensions". Nikkei Asian Review. 16 June 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  7. 1 2 "North Korea's Kim Jong Un in coma, sister Kim Yo-jong to take over: Reports". Hindustan Times. 24 August 2020. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Kim Yo Jong". North Korea Leadership Watch. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  9. ↑ "North Korea Designations". U.S. Department of the Treasury. 1 November 2017. Archived from the original on 6 February 2017. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  10. ↑ Lim, Andy (25 March 2014). "Impact Player: Kim Yo-Jong". Center for Strategic and International Studies. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  11. 1 2 Fifeld, Anna (8 February 2018). "Who is Kim Yo Jong? Here's what we know about the North Korean 'princess.'". Washington Post. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  12. 1 2 "Kim Yo Jong: Who is the North Korean leader's mysterious sister?". DW.COM. 8 October 2017. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
  13. ↑ Harry J., Kazianis (24 July 2019). "Meet Kim Yo-jong: North Korea's Most Powerful Woman". The National Interest. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  14. ↑ McCurry, Justin (19 April 2020). "Kim Yo-jong: the sister of Kim Jong-un, fast 'becoming his alter ego'". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  15. ↑ Gil, Yun-hyung (22 July 2013). "Kim Jong-un's younger sister reportedly managing events in North Korea". The Hankyoreh. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  16. ↑ "North Korea Newsletter No. 237". Yonhap News Agency. South Korea. 22 November 2012. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  17. ↑ "Kim Jong Un Visits Kim Il Sung University of Politics and Takes Part in Election of Deputy to SPA". North Korea (site in Japan). Korean Central News Agency. 9 March 2014. Archived from the original on 10 March 2014.
  18. ↑ Silva, Cristina (2 October 2014). "Has Kim Yo-Jong Taken Over For Kim Jong Un? Sister Assumes North Korea State Duties While Brother Undergoes Medical Treatment". International Business Times. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
  19. 1 2 Yong, Lee Sang (24 July 2015). "Kim Jong-un's sister promoted to run 'idolisation projects' in North Korea". The Guardian. UK. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  20. ↑ Lee Sang Yong (20 July 2015). "Kim Yo Jong in de facto power of PAD". Daily NK. Archived from the original on 28 April 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  21. 1 2 "The Chosun Ilbo (English Edition): Daily News from Korea – Kim Jong-un's Sister to Have Baby in May". Chosun Ilbo. 30 April 2014. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
  22. ↑ "N. Korea's Kim Jong-un executed 15 top officials: S. Korea spy agency". Yahoo! News. AFP. 29 April 2015. Retrieved 29 April 2015.
  23. ↑ "North Korea's New Propagandist?". 38 North. 14 August 2015. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
  24. ↑ Sherwell, Phillip (8 January 2017). "Sister helps Kim strut his stuff as key missile test looms". The Times. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  25. 1 2 3 4 McCurry, Justin (9 October 2017). "Meet Kim Yo-jong, the sister who is the brains behind Kim Jong-un's image". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  26. ↑ Ahmann, Tim; Walsh, Eric (11 January 2017). "U.S. blacklists North Korean officials over rights abuses". Reuters. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
  27. ↑ Pearson, James (8 October 2017). "Kim Jong Un praises nuclear program, promotes sister to center of power". Reuters. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  28. ↑ Gale, Alastair (9 February 2018). "Behind the Rapid Rise of Kim Jong Un's Younger Sister". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  29. ↑ Ryall, Julian (6 December 2013). "Kim Jong-un 'preparing to purge aunt'". The Telegraph. United Kingdom. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  30. ↑ "KJI Youngest Daughter Working as Events Manager for KJU?". North Korea Leadership Watch. 22 July 2013. Archived from the original on 22 December 2013.
  31. ↑ Kim, Myong-song (25 January 2018). "Kim Jong-un 'Puts Sister in Charge of State Security'". The Chosun Ilbo. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  32. ↑ Haas, Benjamin (9 February 2018). "US vice-president skips Olympics dinner in snub to North Korea officials". the Guardian. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
  33. ↑ "South Korean president invited to North Korea". koreatimes. 10 February 2018. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
  34. ↑ "Kim Jong Un meets PM Lee ahead of Trump-Kim summit". Channel News Asia. 10 June 2018. Archived from the original on 10 September 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  35. ↑ "Kim Jong Un sister's first official remarks hint at higher status". Al Jazeera. 3 March 2020. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  36. ↑ O'Connor, Tom (9 February 2018). "Who is Kim Jong Un's sister? Kim Jo Yong is becoming North Korea's most powerful woman". Newsweek. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  37. ↑ "North Korea election: Surprise as leader Kim Jong-un 'not on ballot". BBC News. 12 March 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  38. ↑ Jo Jung-hoon (12 March 2019). 북 김정은, 최고인민회의 대의원 처음 빠져: (추가) 북 언론, 687명 대의원 명단 발표...당 부위원장들 포함 (명단). Tongil News (in Korean). Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  39. ↑ Byung-joon, Koh. "(3rd LD) N.K. leader holds politburo meeting to discuss anti-virus measures". Yonhap. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  40. ↑ Hyung-jin Kim (13 January 2021). "Demoted? Pushed aside? Fate of Kim Jong Un's sister unclear". AP News. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  41. ↑ Jeongmin Kim (14 January 2021). "'Top-class idiots': Why a demoted Kim Yo Jong still has the power to slam Seoul". NK News. Archived from the original on 14 January 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  42. ↑ Shih, Hyonhee. "Mixed signals for N.Korean leader's sister as Kim seeks to cement power". Reuters. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  43. ↑ Tertitskiy, Fyodor (11 January 2021). "Kim Yo Jong demoted: Why the North Korean leader's sister is down, but not out". NK News. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  44. ↑ Madden, Michael (22 January 2021). "Kim Yo Jong Stays in the Picture". 38 North. Archived from the original on 22 January 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  45. ↑ Shim, Elizabeth (8 July 2020). "Kim Yo Jong sued over destruction of inter-Korean liaison office". United Press International. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  46. ↑ Choe Sang-Hun (17 July 2020). "South Korean Lawsuit Filed Against Kim Yo-jong, Kim Jong-un's Sister". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  47. ↑ Zwirko, Colin (15 March 2021). "Kim Yo Jong slams US-South Korea military drills, warns of an 'unseemly sleep'". NK News – North Korea News. NK News. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
  48. ↑ O'Connor, Tom (15 March 2021). "North Korea's Kim Yo Jong blasts South Korea, Biden over "stupid" war games". Newsweek. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  49. ↑ ""Coating a Mad Dog in Sheepskin": KYJ Issues Statement Decrying US-ROK Exercises". www.nkleadershipwatch.org. North Korea Leadership Watch. 15 March 2021. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
  50. ↑ Baker, Sinéad (30 September 2021). "Kim Jong Un's mysterious sister was promoted, cementing her place in North Korea's leadership". Yahoo! News. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  51. ↑ "South Korean president told to 'shut his mouth' by Kim Jong Un's sister as she rejects economic aid". Sky News. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
  52. ↑ Shin, Hyonhee (13 September 2023). "Kim Jong Un: Who is with North Korea's leader on trip to Russia?". Reuters. Seoul: Reuters. Archived from the original on 13 September 2023. Retrieved 14 September 2023. Kim Yo Jong, Kim's powerful sister and a senior party official, was seen aiding him as he signed the visitor book at the cosmodrome.
  53. ↑ Coyne, Marley (25 April 2020). "Meet Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong Un's Sister—And Possible Successor In North Korea". Forbes. Archived from the original on 24 December 2020. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  54. ↑ Brennan, David (21 April 2020). "Who is Kim Jong Un's Sister? North Korea Leader's Reported Health Problems Push Kim Yo Jong Into Focus". Newsweek. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  55. ↑ Eilish O'Sullivan (26 April 2020). "People are really stanning Kim Jong Un's sister, Kim Yo Jong". Daily Dot. Archived from the original on 1 May 2020. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  56. ↑ Sung, Morgan (26 April 2020). "We regret to inform you that people are stanning Kim Jong-un's sister". Mashable. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  57. ↑ "Kim Jong Un's Little Sister Married Son of Top Regime Official, Report Says". Wall Street Journal. 2 January 2015. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  58. ↑ "NK leader's sister weds son of Choe Ryong-hae: sources". Yonhap News Agency. 2 January 2015. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  59. ↑ Illmer, Andreas (21 February 2018). "North Korea's Kim Yo-jong baby rumours fascinate South". BBC News. Retrieved 22 October 2020.

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