Kim Jong-un's sister promoted in party reshuffle

By Kim Rahn

Kim Yo-jong

Kim Yo-jong, the younger sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, has been elected as an alternate member of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea central committee’s political bureau, according to the North’s state media Sunday.

The appointment was part of the party’s personnel reshuffle announced during its plenum Saturday, which was held ahead of the party’s founding anniversary which falls on Oct. 10, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

With the appointment, Kim Yo-jong, who often appeared at important national events alongside her brother, now belongs to the party’s decision-making body.

In the reshuffle, Choe Ryong-hae, a vice chairman of the party and one of the closest aides to Kim Jong-un, was selected as a member of the party’s Central Military Commission. He now holds eight high-profile positions in the government and the party.

Choe Hwi, a former senior party official who was known to have been sent for “re-education training” in May last year, was named as a vice chairman of the party and an alternate member of the political bureau.

With several more appointments, it is said the Kim regime has achieved a shift in generations within the party.

Along with the reshuffle, Kim Jong-un stressed the need to overcome economic sanctions imposed on his country by continuing to develop nuclear weapons and boost the economy independently, the KCNA said.

His remarks came after the United Nations Security Council adopted tough sanctions against the country and the international community is actively carrying them out, such as banning imports of North Korean goods and new hiring of North Korean workers, which may cause the country economic difficulty and public unrest.

According to the media, Kim urged the party to accomplish the two-pronged goal of economic development and nuclear armament. But Kim did not talk directly about military action plans or threats toward South Korea or the U.S.; he only said the country’s own efforts for development and its scientific technology are the keys to overcoming the sanctions.

“The current situation is serious and we face an ordeal, but the party is reassured because it is gaining absolute support and trust from the military and the people,” the KCNA quoted Kim as saying. “We’ll open the way to victory by taking our own line firmly amid any hardships.”