SEOUL: North Korean ruler Kim Jong Un has appointed his influential sister, Kim Yo Jong, to the highest decision-making body of the state.
As the official news agency KCNA reported on Thursday, the deputies of the Supreme People’s Assembly, North Korea’s parliament, in Pyongyang elected Kim Yo Jong, among others, as a new member of the State Affairs Commission. Her brother is chairperson of the body.
Kim Yo Jong, whose age in South Korea is estimated at 34, has been considered a close advisor to her brother, who is several years older, for several years. Officially, she is vice head of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers’ Party in North Korea.
In August last year, South Korea’s intelligence service reported that Kim Jong Un had transferred some of his powers to some close associates, including his sister. The sister is now apparently the “de facto number two leader” and is now responsible for Pyongyang’s policy towards South Korea and the United States.
In addition to Kim Yo Jong, six other officials were promoted to new members of the State Affairs Commission in a major reshuffle.
Lawmaker Kim Tok Hun was reportedly elected as Kim Jong Un’s deputy on the body. — dpa
