Even though nearly all eyes were on her brother as he met with U.S. President Donald Trump for a second time in Vietnam this week, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s younger sister attracted attention for her constant presence at his side.
Kim Yo Jong was photographed lurking in the background on multiple occasions at the summit as her brother and Trump tried to work out a deal regarding U.S. sanctions on North Korea for its nuclear arsenal.
She was spotted peeking behind a wall a few metres away as the leaders strolled through the garden of the hotel they were meeting at on Wednesday. In other photos, the 30-year-old can be seen standing off to the side – partially obstructed by trees – as her brother chats with Trump and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo outside the hotel.
In images that made international headlines, Kim Jong Un’s sister was seen holding a crystal ashtray for him as he took a morning smoke break at Nanning railway station in China on Tuesday on his trip to Hanoi.
So, who is Kim Yo Jong and what exactly is her role in her brother’s administration?
Officially, Kim Yo Jong is the Director of the Propaganda and Agitation Department of the Workers’ Party of Korea. Unofficially, she appears to be involved in nearly all aspects of Kim Jong Un’s daily rule.
Scott Snyder, a senior fellow for Korea studies and director of the program on U.S.-Korea policy at the Council on Foreign Relations, compared Kim Yo Jong’s role in the North Korean government as a kind of chief of staff or stage manager for Kim Jong Un.
“It’s clearly a support role that she’s playing, but it’s also a very powerful role,” he told CTVNews.ca during a telephone interview from Washington on Thursday. “I think that in terms of the overall scope of her responsibilities, it’s a co-ordination and direction role that is clearly central.”
That organizational role was evident in the lead-up to the second Kim-Trump summit, where Kim Yo Jong was seen arriving at the hotel in Hanoi ahead of her brother to inspect the facilities and ensure everything was ready for him.
On the other hand, some have questioned her other seemingly menial responsibilities, such as holding the ashtray for her brother or his personal pen at the signing of the Panmunjom Declaration between Kim and Trump during their first summit in April 2018.
Snyder said he doesn’t think those tasks lessen the importance of her role in the leadership ranks, but rather, have more to do with who the North Korean leader trusts.
“It’s almost as though there’s a set of personal tasks related to him that no one other than family can be trusted to do,” he said. “In some ways, you could say that her role actually is a manifestation of the lack of personal trust in North Korean society and definitely it is a manifestation of the importance of the family as a leadership force within North Korea.”
Snyder said it’s also likely that Kim Yo Jong has the opportunity to have more frank conversations with her brother than other members of his government, such as military generals.
Kim Yo Jong has been steadily rising in the leadership ranks since 2014 when she was given the role of director of the Propaganda and Agitation Department.
She gained international attention during a high-profile appearance at the Pyeongchang Olympics in 2018, where she shook hands with South Korean leader Moon Jae-in. It was the first time a member of North Korea’s ruling dynasty visited the South since the Korean War ended in 1953. She was also present at important peace talks between the two Korean leaders ahead of the Olympic Games.
“We really started to focus on her more with her appearance in the Pyeongchang Olympics at the opening ceremonies, but prior to that, her name was already there as someone who was playing a role,” Snyder said.
Kim Yo Jong’s prominence within the administration was also apparent during Pompeo’s visit to Pyongyang in October when she was seated at the table for a high-level meeting.
“She has at every international summit, both South Korea and with the U.S., she has been visible as someone who is trying to put everything in order and making sure that Kim has what he needs,” Snyder said.
Kim Jong Un’s sister has even been eyed as a possible replacement should anything happen to him even though North Korea’s line of succession has historically been lineal, Snyder said.
“Kim Jong Un does not have a child that would be of age to succeed at this time and so I think it’s likely there would be exceptions made and she would be viewed as, at least on the outside, as a credible contender for power,” he said.
