In the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK or North Korea), state media have constantly shown women in meaningful, if not powerful, positions since Kim Jong Un came to power in December 2011. These figures include Choe Son Hui, the country’s first female foreign minister, and Ri Sol Ju, Kim Jong Un’s wife, whom he disclosed to the public in July 2012, soon after his ascendance to power. Most striking, however, is the emergence of two women belonging to the Mount Paektu Bloodline, the direct descendants of the DPRK’s founding father Kim Il Sung: Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong Un’s younger sister, and Kim Ju Ae, his daughter.

Kim Yo Jong is believed to be only around four years younger than her brother and currently holds multiple formal positions within North Korea’s political system, serving as a member of the Worker’s Party of Korea (WPK) Central Committee (CC) and a deputy to the 15th Supreme People’s Assembly. On February 28, Pyongyang’s official Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that she was appointed to the director of the General Affairs Department of the WPK CC.

Read more at: https://www.38north.org/2026/04/assessing-the-limits-of-female-leadership-in-north-korea/