Seoul, February 28 – Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, has been confirmed as the director of the General Affairs Department of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), according to state media on Saturday.
Kim was promoted to a party department chief at the WPK's plenary meeting on Monday, which took place during the ninth party congress that concluded on Wednesday, but details of her official title were not disclosed at that time.
However, the North's state media called her "Director of the General Affairs Department of the WPK Central Committee" for the first time in its Saturday report, listing her as one of the major party cadres and military commanders who received a new type of sniper rifle from the North's leader as "special gifts."
The North's leader met with major leading cadres and military commanding officers at the headquarters building of the WPK the previous day and gave the "new-generation" sniper rifle to each of them, reports Yonhap, quoting the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
Kim Yo-jong, formerly the vice director of the party's propaganda and agitation department, mostly issued messages toward South Korea and the United States. In particular, she issued sharp-tongued statements targeting Seoul amid strained inter-Korean ties.
With this new title, her authority within the party is widely expected to increase, as she will lead the department responsible for the WPK's internal operations and administrative affairs.
The KCNA said that Jo Yong-won and Kim Jae-ryong, members of the praesidium of the political bureau of the WPK central committee, were also presented with rifles by the North's leader, along with members of the Central Military Commission and key military officers.
"These presents represent my appraisal of your extraordinary devotion to the country and the people, and an expression of my absolute trust in you," Kim said, calling the sniper rifle a "wonderful weapon."
The North's leader also personally awarded weapon certificates to each of them and shot the rifle with the leading cadres at a firing range, the KCNA said.
Meanwhile, photos carried by state media showed Kim's daughter, Ju-ae, attending the ceremony to present the rifles and participate in a shooting practice session.
In a rare move, the North's media disclosed a solo photo of Ju-ae aiming at a target and shooting a rifle.
Earlier this month, South Korea's spy agency said Ju-ae may be positioned to succeed her father as state leader. The party congress had drawn attention over whether Ju-ae would receive a formal title at the party event, but she only publicly appeared at a military parade on Wednesday night to mark the first party congress in five years.