North Korea promotes Kim Jong Un’s sister as he vows to boost economy

The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been promoted in the ruling party structure at the party congress, during which he set the country’s economic agenda for the next five years, according to state media.

The ruling Workers’ Party Central Committee named the North Korean leader’s sister, Kim Yo Jong – who was previously a deputy department director – as a full department director, Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Tuesday.According to South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency, Kim Yo Jong will likely be assigned to lead the propaganda department, whose role includes overseeing inter-Korean relations or external strategies.

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

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