North Korea leader's sister promoted at party congress

Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korea's leader, receives a promotion during a rare Workers' Party congress in Pyongyang.

The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been given a promotion in the ruling party structure during a rare party congress, State media reported on Tuesday (February 24, 2026).

The Workers’ Party Central Committee on Monday (February 23) named Kim Yo Jong – previously a deputy department director – as a full department director, Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

Thousands of party elites have packed the capital Pyongyang for a once-in-five-years summit of the ruling Workers’ Party, a gathering that directs state efforts on everything from diplomacy to war planning.

The congress offers a rare glimpse into the political workings of reclusive North Korea and is widely seen as a forum for Mr. Kim to flex his grip on power.

Kim Yo Jong has long been among her brother’s closest lieutenants and one of the most influential women in the isolated regime.

Born in the late 1980s, according to the South Korean government, she is one of three children born to Mr. Kim’s father and predecessor, Kim Jong Il, and his third known partner, former dancer Ko Yong Hui.