Kim Yo-jong, deputy department director of the Labor Party, was promoted to Director General—the equivalent of our Minister—at North Korea's 9th Party Congress and returned as an alternate member of the Politburo.
Based on Kim Yo-jong's elevated political stature, she is expected to play a more active role in the implementation of external policy, including toward the United States and South Korea, going forward.
Korean Central News Agency reported on the 24th that at the expanded meeting of the 1st Plenary Meeting of the 9th Central Committee held the previous day, elections for the Presidium of the Politburo and the Politburo were conducted and party Director Generals were appointed.
Kim Yo-jong, the sister of Kim Jong-un, chairperson of the State Affairs Commission, was promoted from party deputy department director to Director General. North Korean media did not disclose the specific specialized department Kim took on. Considering her previous post, the possibility of her becoming director of propaganda and agitation has been mentioned, but with Ri Son-gwon, who had served as director of the Labor Party's 10th Bureau, stepping down this time, there is also the possibility that she will oversee external strategy, including sending messages to South Korea.
Previously, until 2020, Kim Yo-jong served as first deputy director of the party's Organization and Guidance Department and as an alternate member of the Politburo. After moving to deputy director of the Propaganda and Agitation Department at the 8th Labor Party Congress on Jan. 2021, she was removed from the alternate member list, but she reentered as an alternate member through this plenary meeting.
Jo Yong-won, Chairperson Kim's closest aide who had overseen party operations as organizational secretary, retained his Politburo Presidium seat but was removed from the secretary post.
This is interpreted as groundwork to prepare for the election to form the next Supreme People's Assembly and to choose the standing committee chairperson of the Supreme People's Assembly.
Under North Korea's constitution, the standing committee chairperson of the Supreme People's Assembly, who represents the state, has by right served as a member of the Politburo Presidium. Once this party congress concludes, North Korea is expected to proceed with convening the Supreme People's Assembly to take follow-up steps such as related legislation and constitutional amendments.
The Politburo Presidium, the top body of the Labor Party, was composed of five people: Kim Jong-un, Jo Yong-won, Pak Thae-song, Kim Jae-ryong and Ri Il-hwan.
Kim Jae-ryong, a former cabinet premier and head of the party's Discipline Inspection Department, was the first to be named among the Politburo Presidium members and, among the new party secretariat, was also called first, suggesting he has been given a key role concurrently serving as organizational secretary and head of the Organization and Guidance Department, responsible for running the Labor Party's organization.
In addition, Ri Il-hwan, newly entering the Presidium as a party secretary, appears set to handle the propaganda and agitation work he has undertaken so far. As the secretary and Director General in charge of propaganda and agitation, he effectively oversees the role of making North Korean society monolithic around Chairperson Kim Jong-un.
Kim Sung-gi, newly added to the list of full members of the Politburo, also appeared on the Central Military Commission roster and seems to have become the director of the General Political Bureau of the military, replacing Jeong Kyong-thaek, who moved this time to party secretary and Director General.
With Pak Jong-chon, head of the Military Guidance Department, and Ri Pyong-chol, the party's senior adviser for munitions policy, both removed from the Central Committee and stepping back to the second line, it showed that a generational shift is underway in the military as well.
Meanwhile, Kim Ju-ae, Chairperson Kim's daughter, whose possible assignment of an official post at this congress drew attention, has not been mentioned so far in the personnel results. Her presence was also not confirmed in North Korean media's on-site reports of the party congress.