Kim Jong-un's sister tapped for top post

Appointment signals increasing influence

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Kim Yo-jong attends a reception marking the end of World War II, in Beijing on Sept 3, 2025. AFP

(AFP)

North Korea's ruling party has elevated leader Kim Jong-un’s powerful younger sister to a top position, state media said yesterday, a sign of her far-reaching influence within the reclusive nation.

Thousands of party elites have packed the capital Pyongyang for a once-in-five-years summit of the ruling Workers' Party, a gathering that directs state efforts on everything from diplomacy to war planning.

Kim Yo-jong — long considered one of her brother's closest lieutenants — was promoted to department director within the party's apex central committee, the Korean Central News Agency said.