The ruling Workers’ Party Central Committee names Kim Yo Jong as the full department director at the key party congress. The ruling Workers’ Party Central Committee named the North Korean leader’s sister, Kim Yo Jong – who was previously a deputy department director – as a full department director, Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Tuesday. Kim Yo Jong has long been among her brother’s closest lieutenants and one of the most influential women in the party. Kim Yo Jong was educated in Switzerland alongside her brother and rose rapidly up the ranks once he inherited power after their father’s death in 2011. KCNA also confirmed that Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a message to Kim Jong Un to congratulate him on his re-election as party leader.

Source: The North Africa Journal February 24, 2026 15:04 UTC