Is Kim Yo-jong en route to be Kim Kyong-hui in her prime?
Kim Yo-jong, 27, the younger sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. / KCNA
Kim Yo-jong, 27, the younger sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, is set to expand her political presence in the reclusive state.
The two Kims attended a concert performed by Moranbong Orchestra side by side, the North’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Monday.
This marks the second public appearance of the younger Kim accompanying her brother, and it is seen by many as the Switzerland-educated sister becoming as much of a political heavyweight as her brother, according to North Korea watchers.
The election of the Supreme People’s Assembly (SPA) March 9 was her first official appearance.
Kim Kyong-hui, the aunt of the Kim siblings, has been missing from the public scene since the death of her husband Jang Song-thaek in December. She reportedly has been expelled from the innermost circle of the North Korean regime, having failed to get elected in the last week's SPA poll.
Kim Jong-un’s wife Ri Sol-ju has been absent from public events, signaling the possible change of the North’s strategy in how the young leader is seen in the public eye.