Kim Jong Un is sending his younger sister to South Korea for the Olympics, the first time any member of the Kim dynasty has visited the country.
South Korea’s Unification Ministry said in a statement that Kim Yo Jong will be joining North Korea’s high level delegation to the South, headed by Kim Yong Nam, president of North Korea’s parliament.
The 30-year-old, who has seen her profile rise steadily since 2014, was last year promoted to North Korea’s Politburo. She and Kim Jong Un were born to the same mother, Ko Yong Hui.
Shadowy figure
Like most members of the Kim clan, little is definitively known about Kim Yo Jong beyond her official rank. According to NK Leadership Watch, she is a close aide of her brother’s “and since his accession manages his public events, itineraries and logistical needs, among other tasks.”
She was promoted to the country’s Politburo as an alternate member in October.
Born September 26, 1987, Kim Yo Jong studied in Switzerland like her brother and is believed to have attended Kim Il Sung University and a western European school for her higher education.
Her position is such that, according to a Seoul-based think tank run by North Korean defectors, Kim Yo Jong briefly took charge of the country while her brother was reportedly ill with gout or diabetes in late 2014.
