Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, attends a reception in the Great Hall of People following a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II, in Beijing on Sept. 3, 2025.
North Korea's ruling party has elevated leader Kim Jong Un's powerful younger sister to a top position, state media said Tuesday, 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.
Although it was not clear which department she would lead, she has previously held a senior role within the party's propaganda unit.
Kim Yo Jong has in recent years emerged as one of the most powerful figures in North Korea, playing a highly visible role in diplomacy, nuclear negotiations and other matters of state.
Kim Yo Jong burst on to the international scene in 2018, when she was dispatched to Seoul as North Korea's envoy for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.
With that trip, she became one of the first members of the ruling Kim dynasty to set foot in the South since the Korean War.
Since then she has gained a repu
