Who is Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong Un’s powerful sister?

Kim Yo Jong, often described as North Korea’s “second-most powerful figure,” has carved out a formidable role within her brother Kim Jong Un’s tightly controlled regime.

She holds two senior posts in government and is widely known for her fiery statements, frequently lashing out at South Korean officials and other world leaders. Her prominence has been cemented by her constant presence beside Kim Jong Un at military parades, weapons tests, and high-profile meetings—including appearances with Russian President Vladimir Putin and at China’s military celebrations in Beijing.

Much like her brother, Kim Yo Jong’s personal life remains cloaked in secrecy. Believed to be in her late 30s, she is the only daughter among Kim Jong Il’s five children. Her first major public appearance came at her father’s funeral in 2011, where she swiftly emerged as a close adviser to her brother after his succession.

Rumors swirled in 2014 that she briefly took the reins of leadership during Kim Jong Un’s unexplained absence from public view. Since then, her influence has only grown. She has served as vice director of the Korean Workers’ Party’s powerful Propaganda and Agitation Department since 2014, and in 2021 she joined the State Affairs Commission, North Korea’s top decision-making body. None of her siblings have come close to wielding such political clout.

Her international profile rose during the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea, where she attended as part of Pyongyang’s delegation and acted as a special envoy. But she has also drawn scrutiny abroad—added to the U.S. sanctions list in 2017 due to North Korea’s human rights record.

Like her brother, Kim Yo Jong is believed to have spent part of her youth in Bern, Switzerland, before returning to study at Kim Il Sung University in Pyongyang. Reports suggest she is married with two children, though Pyongyang has never confirmed this.