North Korean state media reveal Kim Jong-un sister’s new official title

Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, has been confirmed as director of the General Affairs Department of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), according to state media reports published on February 28.

Although Kim was promoted to a party department chief during the WPK’s plenary meeting on February 23 — held during the ninth Party Congress — her exact title was not disclosed at the time. The new designation was revealed for the first time in a February 28 report by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), which referred to her as “director of the General Affairs Department of the WPK Central Committee,” Yonhap reports.

KCNA listed Kim among senior party officials and military commanders who received a new-generation sniper rifle from Kim Jong-un as a “special gift.” The presentation took place at the WPK headquarters building during a meeting between the North Korean leader and leading cadres and military commanding officers.

The state news agency also reported that Jo Yong-won and Kim Jae-ryong — both members of the Presidium of the Political Bureau of the WPK Central Committee — were presented with the rifles, along with members of the Central Military Commission and key military officers.

“These presents represent my appraisal of your extraordinary devotion for the country and the people and an expression of my absolute trust in you,” Kim Jong-un was quoted as saying, describing the sniper rifle as a “wonderful weapon.”

Kim Yo-jong previously served as vice director of the party’s Propaganda and Agitation Department, where she frequently issued statements directed at South Korea and the United States, often adopting a sharply critical tone amid periods of heightened inter-Korean tensions.

Her appointment to lead the General Affairs Department — widely regarded as responsible for overseeing the party’s internal operations and administrative affairs — is expected to further consolidate her influence within the ruling party’s hierarchy.

By Vugar Khalilov