South Korean Defence Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo on Tuesday said that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's younger sister, Kim Yo-jong, seems to be in control of a key unit of Pyongyang's ruling Workers' Party.
Asked by a lawmaker during a National Assembly session if Kim Yo-jong has a substantial grip on the party's Organization and Guidance Department, the Minister said that he did think so, reports Yonhap News Agency.
But Kim Jong-un is believed to maintain his sole control of the party, the regime and the military, while he has delegated some "roles and responsibilities" to his aides, Jeong said.
On a view that Kim Yo-jong oversees Pyongyang's strategy on Seoul and Washington, the Minister said: "It appears to be true, as she expressed so."
Kim Yo-jong is the younger sister of Kim Jong-un and the only one of his siblings considered a close and powerful ally, the BBC reported.
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She first gained international attention in 2018, when she was the first member of the Kim dynasty to visit South Korea.
She was part of the delegation to the Winter Olympics, where North and South competed as a joint team.
Kim Yo-jong also worked alongside her brother at international summits, including his meetings with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, China's Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump.
Sources: IANS