North Korean Leader's Sister Kim Yo Jong Promoted At Party Congress

Last Updated:February 24, 2026, 12:32 IST

The Workers’ Party Central Committee on Monday named Kim Yo Jong – previously a deputy department director – as a full department director.

The sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been given a promotion in the ruling party structure during a rare party congress, State media reported on Tuesday.

According to Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the Workers’ Party Central Committee on Monday named Kim Yo Jong – previously a deputy department director – as a full department director.

The development came after thousands of party elites packed the capital Pyongyang for a once-in-five-years summit of the ruling Workers’ Party. The gathering directs state efforts on everything from diplomacy to war planning.

The meeting gives a peek into the political workings of reclusive North Korea and is widely seen as a forum for Kim Jong Un to flex his grip on power.

Meanwhile, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was reelected to the top post of the ruling Workers’ Party, with delegates crediting him for bolstering the country’s nuclear arsenal and strengthening its regional standing.

Who Is Kim Yo Jong?

Kim Yo Jong has long been among her brother’s closest lieutenants and one of the most influential women in the isolated regime.

As per the South Korean government, she was born in the late 1980s and is one of three children born to Kim’s father. She was educated in Switzerland alongside her brother and rose rapidly up the ranks once he inherited power after their father’s death in 2011.

Meanwhile, her name has recently gained limelight after reports suggested that Kim Jong Un is expected to unveil the next leader of North Korea.

South Korea’s spy agency says Kim Jong Un’s teenage daughter, Kim Ju Ae, is close to being named the country’s next leader, a move that could set her against her powerful aunt, Kim Yo Jong, in a future fight for control.

(With agency inputs)

News world North Korean Leader's Sister Kim Yo Jong Promoted At Party Congress

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