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Kim Jong Un’s Sister Rejoined the Politburo Amid Virus Threat
Edward White in Wellington and Kang Buseong in Seoul
Kim Yo Jong, the younger sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, has been reinstated to a higher political committee in a possible sign of her expanded leadership role, as Pyongyang grapples with the threat of the global coronavirus pandemic to its fragile system of Health.
According to North Korean state media, Ms. Kim was elected as a substitute member of the ruling politburo of the Workers’ Party, a body from which she appeared to have been withdrawn after the failed summit between Kim and Donald Trump, the president of the United States, in Hanoi for the last time. year.
Believed to be a top adviser and confidant to her brother, Ms. Kim gained international prominence when she was sent to attend the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea in 2018, becoming the first member of the regime. Kim’s visit to the country since the Korean War.
Rachel Lee, a former North Korean analyst in the U.S. government, said the reinstatement seemed consistent with Kim’s growing profile, pictured, from the second half of last year, including issuing statements about relations with United States and South Korea.
“His role in the Kim regime will likely continue to expand,” said Lee. “Officially, she may be one of the lowest-ranking members of the party’s politburo, but her media appearances indicate that she plays a role across the range of issues, which extends beyond her official portfolio, which we believe it’s propaganda. “
After reports of the outbreak of the coronavirus from neighboring China emerged in January, North Korea quickly closed its borders and state media reported this month a sharp reduction in quarantined people in the isolated country.
The FT reported in March that nearly 600 people had been tested for the virus within the country, and North Korean authorities have secretly sought more international help to increase testing for coronavirus.
However, Pyongyang’s claims of zero-coronavirus cases continue to attract international skepticism, including Robert Abrams, a US general who leads the 28,500 US troops in South Korea and described the claim as “impossible.”
At Saturday’s politburo meeting, a new resolution was adopted to act “further” to combat the pandemic, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.
