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Reuters
Kim Yo-jong is the younger sister of Kim Jong-un
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has delegated more responsibilities to his aides, including his sister Kim Yo-jong, the South Korean spy agency claims.
Mr. Kim still maintains “absolute authority” but handed over various policy areas to others to reduce his stress levels, the spy agency said.
Ms Kim is now “sending general state affairs”, added the National Intelligence Service.
However, Seoul’s spy agency has been wrong about North Korea in the past.
The claims were apparently made during a closed-door briefing on Thursday after the National Assembly of South Korea.
Lawmakers then discussed the assessment with journalists.
“Kim Jong-un still retains his absolute authority, but some of it has been handed down little by little,” the agency was quoted as saying.
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Ms Kim now has responsibility for Pyongyang’s policy towards the US and South Korea, among other policy issues, and is “the de-facto number two leader”, it added, although it insists Mr Kim “had not selected a successor. “
Mr Kim’s decision to delegate was in part to “relieve stress from his government and prevent guilt in case of policy error,” it said.
However, some analysts have been skeptical about intelligence, with website NKNews noting that it appears to have missed two key meetings this month, leading to speculation by some observers that they may have been demographed.
Who’s Kim Yo-young?
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Reuters
Kim Jong-un and Kim Yo-jong are said to be close
She is the younger sister of Kim Jong-un and the only one of his siblings considered a close and powerful ally.
Born in 1987, she is four years younger than Mr. Kim. The two lived and studied at the same time in Bern, Switzerland.
Ms. Kim first gained international attention in 2018, when she was the first member of the Kim dynasty to visit South Korea. She was part of the delegation to the Winter Olympics, where North and South competed as a joint team.
She has also worked alongside her brother at international summits, including his meetings with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, China’s Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump.
There is no doubt that Kim Yo-young is on the rise.
Some analysts believe that the crisis earlier this year between North and South Korea, which saw the inter-Korean liaison bureau blow to bits, was just made to give them a big platform.
She issued her first public statement in March. It was a scathing verbal attack condemning the South. They later stated that they had “been given power by the Supreme Leader, our Party and the State”.
She also wrote about the potential for a summit between Kim Jong-un and President Trump later this year, insisting that North Korea did not have the “slightest intention to pose a threat to the US”.
All this suggests that they may have been held responsible for influencing policies regarding the United States and South Korea.
Let’s look at this a little bit. This does not mean that she will succeed her brother as leader of North Korea. She is also not the only one who was given extra responsibilities. Other helpers have also given some power.
It is also worth noting that the intelligence briefing specifically states that Kim Jong Un remains in general control – he simply delegates. He will still have the definitive sayings.
But it’s yet another indication that Kim Yo-jong has gone from hiding behind pillars at public events and carrying ashtrays for her brother until she was at the forefront of North Korea’s foreign policy.
How reliable is South Korea’s spy agency?
North Korea is one of the most mysterious societies in the world.
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service may have more intelligence over the North than most other organizations, but it still has a mixed record.
In 2016, for example, South Korean media mentioned a similar briefing by the spy agency in which it was stated that the Chief of Staff of the North Korean Army, Ri Yong-gil, had been executed.
Three months later, the South Korean government said it had revealed that he was alive because his name appeared on a list of party officials.
In 2017, the spy agency also acknowledged that it was trying to manipulate the outcome of the 2012 presidential election in the South.
