Kim Jong-un’s sister could be the most powerful person in North Korea
Not much is understood about the complicated inner workings of North Korea’s political structure, but what little we do know shows that Kim Jong-un’s sister, Kim Yo-jong, has become a vital participant in Pyongyang’s political games, playing a pivotal role both in and outside of the hermit kingdom.
It is not unusual for Kim Yo-jong to use strong language when speaking on the international stage, especially when it comes to South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and his government.
Back in November of 2022, Kim called South Korea’s president and his government “faithful dogs and henchmen of the United States,” after they requested new unilateral sanctions against Pyongyang, a request made in reaction to the recent ballistic missile tests carried out by their northern neighbor.
In a country like North Korea, Kim Yo Jong’s words are important not only because of who she is within the country’s power structure but also because of what she represents outside of her relationship with her brother.
Kim is more than just a sister in North Korea, she is also an important political adviser to he brother and, together with him, one of the main protagonists behind North Korea’s foreign policy.
In 2017, Kim was promoted to North Korea’s Politburo, the most important decision-making body in the country. But was snubbed in 2021 when she was excluded from the executive committee of the North Korean Workers’ Party.
Michael Madden, a North Korean leadership specialist at the Stimson Center, stressed at the time that regardless of what Kim Yo-jong was or wasn’t included in officially, she enjoyed the greatest degree of influence over the country’s policies, both foreign and domestic.
