North Korea's most powerful woman | DW Documentary

It really looks more like a monarchy led by the Kims than a truly socialist country. When a country like North Korea is determined to get nuclear weapons, you can negotiate forever and you will never get them to give up their weapons. The North Koreans are trying to paint Kim Yo-jong as fearsome, strong, bold, sometimes threatening, sometimes charming. Kim Yo-jong is the

most

powerful

woman

, not only in contemporary North Korea, but perhaps in all of Korean history. Comrade Kim Yo-jong, head of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea. Comrades, I want to remember our intense fight against the pandemic.

In the last 91 days I witnessed many tragedies. The memory of these moments moves me deeply. In August 2022, Kim Yo-jong spoke at an event celebrating North Korea's victory over COVID-19. She used the occasion to reveal that her brother, Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un, had also contracted the virus. He had been very sick with a high fever. I cannot forget the moments when I could not help the great leader, when he faced the crisis alone, sometimes bewildered and saddened. To protect the precious lives of the people, the great leader called daily meetings of the Party Central Committee. He personally devised methods and solutions, making not just one, ten or a hundred decisions, but ten thousand.

He was on the battlefield against the pandemic. He led the fight day and night, instigating ingenious quarantine measures. It was an emotional scene, with images of crying medical staff and party officials fueling the country's propaganda machine. It was also the moment when Kim Yo-jong asserted her position as the regime's second-in-command. Over the past decade, Kim Yo-jong has established herself as a major figure in North Korea, playing a key role as tensions with the South eased and then worsened. Her influence stems from her close relationship with her brother Kim Jong Un, but it is also due to the incredible abilities she has demonstrated since she entered public life.

This is the story of a family. On December 17, 2011, Kim Jong-il died of a heart attack at the age of 70. His death triggered widespread scenes of grief, in keeping with the country's cult of personality. Power passed to one of his sons, Kim Jong-un, who was barely 28 years old and had no political experience. He became the third Supreme Leader of this unique communist dynasty, founded by his grandfather Kim Il-sung at the beginning of the Cold War. Behind the new leader was a young

woman

also overcome with grief. She was then unknown neither to the North Koreans nor to the rest of the world.

Jean Lee is a Korean-American journalist for the Associated Press. At the time, she was the only Western journalist in Pyongyang. At that time she had already seen Kim Jong-un in person. I didn't see any sign of her older brother or her younger sister. I never saw any of them at Kim Jong-il's side in the last year of his life, which was when I was in Pyongyang. And I was at many events with the Kim family. But I never saw Kim Yo-Jong. The young woman crying behind the new leader attracted a lot of attention. Her father, Kim Jong-il, had kept a secret from his family, especially from his five children born to three different mothers.

In this patriarchal society, the role of "Dear Leader" was only for male children. In 2011, no one would have imagined that Kim Yo-jong, the new dictator's 24-year-old sister, would play an increasingly important role in her brother's government. She was kept behind the scenes for several years. That moment was very interesting not only because we saw this young woman but also because they were just sobbing. And those are moments when you also realize that they are children, that they are young, that they did not necessarily have the composure. Little by little, the young woman became a regular presence next to her brother.

She performed at public events, despite not having a clear role. Then, she began to take on roles within the party. Eventually, she took on the role of number two and can even replace her brother if necessary, a first for the North Korean regime. Lee Sung-yoon is a researcher based in the United States. He is the author of the only biography of Kim Yo-jong. He has real power in his despotic state ruled by her brother. The two brothers visibly show affection and trust. I believe that Kim Yo-jong has the full trust of Kim Jong-un. This is extraordinary because in the male-dominated chauvinistic culture and society that is North Korea, we have never seen such a

powerful

woman, a woman who is a key member of the royal family.

How did this communist regime come to be ruled by a dynasty described – without irony – as a "royal family"? Kim II-sung was the founder of the dynasty. He did not become ruler through his family lineage, but with the help of the Soviet Red Army, which occupied North Korea at the end of World War II. He had been a guerrilla leader of the anti-Japanese resistance. With Moscow's support, he defeated other contenders for communist leadership and soon faced the Korean War, the first conflict of the Cold War, involving American and Chinese troops. North Korea managed to maintain good relations with the two communist powers (China and the Soviet Union), sometimes pitting one against the other.

The “Dear Leader” took advantage of the situation. He also forged his own cult of personality, surpassing even that of Chairman Mao in neighboring China. Soon, Kim Il-sung's son, Kim Jong-il, appeared next to him. He was considered the natural successor, chosen to succeed his father as Supreme Leader at a very young age. Gradually, with the help of perfectly executed propaganda campaigns, the "royal blood" of the family became the basis of his power. There was no doubt that the dynasty would continue when Kim Jong-il died, even though none of his children had been involved in politics. Jeong Se-hyun served as South Korea's Unification Minister under two presidents.

When it came to the transition of power from Kim Il-sung to Kim Jong-il, he justified himself by the “lineage of Mount Paektu.” In other words, in the minds of North Koreans, a person cannot serve as a leader unless he has “Paektu's blood” in him. Every dynastic power requires a founding myth. The Kim family found theirs in Korean tradition and the beautiful surroundings of Mount Paektu. Propaganda did the rest, highlighting the Kim family's connection to the holy site. It is the cradle of Korean civilization. The Kim dynasty has appropriated, taken over the symbol of Mount Paektu and justifies its despotic rule by propagating the lie, the myth, that the family is sacred, they are saviors of the Korean people and are destined to liberate South Korea, which North Korea claims it is a colony of the United States.

As the third leader of the dynasty, Kim Jong-un has maintained the myth of Mount Paektu, adding a touch of modernity. He has been photographed riding a horse through the snowy mountain, with his wife at his side. Above all, he has carefully cultivated a physical resemblance to his grandfather, Kim Il-sung. Kim Jong-un has recreated classic scenes familiar to all North Koreans. Propaganda efforts have included visiting the log cabin where his grandfather lived during the period of anti-Japanese resistance. According to legend, it is also where his father, Kim Jong-il, was conceived. The Kims, in attempting to extend hereditary succession, relied heavily on their traditions.

I mean, it's endlessly fascinating. And I have many, many books that show photographs of Kim Il-sung when he was younger. And you can compare them side by side with photographs of Kim Jong-un today, and they are exactly trying to replicate photographs of Kim Il-sung that North Koreans are familiar with. Kim Jong-un's mother and his sister, Kim Yo-jong, was the great love and favorite companion of his father, Kim Jong-il. Ko Yung-hee was a former dancer. She also became the object of a cult of personality. Propaganda would always portray her as the "Respected Mother", the

most

faithful and loyal subject of the "Dear Leader and Supreme Commander".

Ko Yung-hee and Kim Jong-il had three children. The eldest, Kim Yong-chol, did not consider himself strong enough to succeed his father. And so Kim Jong-un was elected. The close relationship between Kim Jong-un and his sister dates back to their school days in Switzerland, far from their parents and the isolated inner circle of power. Cheong Seong-chang is an expert on the Kim family. He was also an advisor to former South Korean president Moon Jae-in. Kim Jong-un lived in Switzerland for four years, from the summer of 1996 to early 2001. He experienced capitalism firsthand, and his sister Kim Yo-jong was with him in Switzerland.

They went to Disneyland together and traveled around Europe. Kim Yo-jong and Kim Jong-un have experienced many things together. The close relationship probably developed here in the Swiss capital Bern. This is where North Korea set up its largest diplomatic mission in Europe, led by a trusted man close to the Kim family. The elegant embassy is located in the diplomatic district. North Korean activity is of great interest to Swiss intelligence officials, who are keeping a close eye on things. This report reveals that the embassy acquired several apartments in the quiet Liebefeld neighborhood. The apartments are in this building.

Authorities confirm that an entire community of North Koreans lives here, including drivers and a cook, led by relatives of the North Korean dictator. Swiss intelligence officials say North Korea has prepared a base here, in case the regime is ever toppled. But by the mid-1990s, it became clear that the Liebefeld community had a very different purpose. Two children arrived from Pyongyang with a woman who claimed to be their mother. Her last name was supposedly "Pak." For a time, the children attended a local school. Then one day, the “Pak” family simply disappeared. The children, then teenagers, returned to Pyongyang.

Shortly after, the couple who had posed as their parents requested political asylum at the United States embassy. They were later revealed to be the uncles of Kim Yo-jong and Kim Jong-un. They now live in exile near Washington. The Kim family is complex. In addition to mother Ko Yong-hee's two boys and one girl, there was also an older half-brother, Kim Jong-nam. He was not considered for succession. Kim Jong-nam went to live abroad, distancing himself from the family dynasty. He became a problem for the regime. On February 13, 2017, Kim Jong-nam was at the Kuala Lumpur airport in Malaysia. In view of the surveillance cameras, two women approached him and covered his face with a cloth containing poison.

Kim Jong-nam died minutes later. When they were arrested, the girls said they thought they were participating in a television show. There is no evidence of direct involvement by Pyongyang, but there is little doubt. One of the great sources of power or instruments of oppression in the North Korean political system is to terrorize people, not only ordinary people, but also party members. This was not the first example of the North Korean leader's cruelty. Jang Song-thaek, Kim Jong-un's powerful uncle, had mentored the young leader early in his reign. He was arrested on December 9, 2013 and executed three days later.

He was accused of corruption and having extramarital affairs. It's not just a strange medieval monarchical dynasty led by Kim Jong-un, of course, yes, but with his sister at his side, as if she were a co-criminal. By isolating themselves, Kim Jong-un and his younger sister consolidated his position within the state and the party. The bond of trust between the brothers helped them reinforce their power. As an advisor to several South Korean presidents, Moon Chung-in has participated in all phases of dialogue between the North and the South. Kim Jong-un found it difficult to oversee everything. He then divided the tasks.

He delegated the things he considered appropriate to his sister, Kim Yo-jong. She's not exactly a coder. She plays more of a secondary role. Kim Yo-jong made her first appearance on the world stage in February 2018, during the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. In an extraordinary Olympic moment, the two Koreas put aside their hostilities. “An important moment in Olympic history when athletes from North and South Korea enter as one team under the flag of the Korean Peninsula” The North Korean delegation was led by a veteran and high-ranking official, Kim Yong-nam. But the real sensation was the presence of Kim Yo-jong.

It was the first time a member of the ruling family had set foot in South Korea since the peninsula was divided in 1945. All eyes were on the Supreme Leader's sister. At the opening ceremony, she was seated right behind Mike Pence, the vice president of the United States. When the American athletes stopped by, the North Korean delegation gave them a frosty reception. Pence later said he was careful not to make eye contact with the young woman. After all, she represented a country with which the United States was still officially at war. John Bolton, US national security adviser at the time, approves of Pence's position.

I think Vice President Pence did the right thing by avoiding contact. I don't think this would help at all. It is an authoritarian regime that runs aprison camp for 25 million people in North Korea. So I think the vice president was actually following the right course of action there and I think there was a real difference between how he saw things and how President Trump saw them. According to John Bolton, everything had been orchestrated by South Korean President Moon Jae-in. Moon wanted a detente with the North and tried to force the Americans' decision by organizing a meeting in the stands of the Olympic Games.

President Moon Jae-in wanted to hold talks between North Korea and the United States over the nuclear program. He was a big proponent of solar politics in one of its variants and people speculated about what exactly the sister's role was because we didn't really know. That is a ridiculous interpretation of the facts. Our administration made comprehensive attempts to improve diplomatic relations and make the Olympic Games a success. If tensions had risen during the Olympics, they would have been considered a failure. President Moon then proposed what became known as the “Olympic Peace.” Kim Yo-jong's visit did not end with the opening of the Olympic Games.

He also had a political dimension. As soon as he arrived at Seoul International Airport, the leader's sister electrified South Korea. When North Korea announced that Kim Jong-un's sister would visit South Korea with 48 hours' notice, there was great excitement throughout South Korea. "Wow, the princess is coming. Kim Jong-un's little sister is visiting South Korea. This must be serious. Kim Jong-un must be serious about peace, reconciliation and denuclearization. Finally! The "Peace is near." The North Koreans were warmly received by the South Korean Unification Minister. Officially, veteran official Kim Yong-nam was the head of the North Korean delegation, but it was Kim Yo-jong's presence that really left an impression.

He kept his chin slightly raised at the South Korean airport. He knew that there were cameras everywhere and that journalists were filming her, trying to follow his every move. He had a smile, a little imperious, I'd say, but he kept his head up. When she was welcomed into the VIP room, she, upon entering the room, only looked at two or three different places, like this. She didn't turn her head. She didn't seem excited. And all this comes from training. It was a historic moment when this daughter of the Kim family arrived at the “Blue House,” the South Korean Presidential Palace in Seoul.

This extraordinary event was followed live by the South Korean public. She received a warm welcome from President Moon Jae-in, who wanted to finally improve relations with South Korean brothers and sisters in the North. The impression of rapprochement was strengthened when fans applauded the symbolic Korean joint team in an ice hockey match against Switzerland. Everything possible was done to create a feeling of reconciliation. Both sides played along. I think the reason Kim Jong-un sent his younger sister to Seoul was because she wanted to hear what South Korea was really like. It would be difficult for North Korean officials to go to South Korea and report honestly to Kim Jong-un.

If they went to South Korea and saw something positive and told Kim Jong-un, it could be perceived as admiration or even envy toward the South. But Kim Jong-un wanted to understand South Korea as it was, so you can see why he sent Kim Yo-jong, who could openly tell his brother everything he saw. The South Korean press covered Kim Yo-jong as a pop star. The media praised the young woman for not making any missteps while she was under such close scrutiny. Meanwhile, South Korean leaders tried to get a sense of the personality of this Pyongyang envoy. They could see that she was going to play an increasingly important political role.

I was able to observe Kim Yo-jong closely. She was very quiet. She was afraid of making a mistake. Although she didn't talk much, I felt that she had a lot of authority for someone her age. She was used to being treated like a high-ranking person. But I couldn't see behind her mask. She tried to hide her personality as much as possible. She was like she wanted to remain mysterious. The charm offensive worked. All South Korean television programs gave their opinion on the visit, even comparing the bag of Hyon Song-wol, famous North Korean singer, with that of Kim Yo-jong.

Commentators concluded that the North Korean singer's designer accessories were worth a fortune... Meanwhile, Kim Yo-jong played the role of a down-to-earth diplomat. If North Korea had wanted to make the South forget that it was being threatened by nuclear weapons, it could not have done better. The return to Pyongyang was triumphant. The delegation in South Korea had accomplished its mission and Kim Yo-jong, still a newcomer, was once again expected to follow protocol. that is, leaving the center of attention. But the charm offensive in South Korea marked the beginning of his rise to the highest circles of power in Pyongyang.

The improvement in relations was all the more notable because it followed a period of high tension over Pyongyang's nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Just a few months before the diplomatic advance, with its new focus on the North Korean economy, the political climate on the peninsula had been warlike. On September 3, 2017, North Korea conducted its sixth nuclear test. This news was joyfully announced on state television by Ri Chun-hee, a star news anchor who came out of retirement for the occasion. Days later, US President Donald Trump delivered a rebuke at the United Nations, unusual for its aggressive tone. Now North Korea's reckless pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles threatens the entire world...

The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will not have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea. . Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself and his family. The exchanges between the young North Korean leader and the unpredictable American president were vigorous and direct. But there were growing signs of easing tensions. Kim Jong-un now considered himself strong enough to begin negotiating with Trump, the same man who had threatened to destroy him. North Korea conducted its sixth nuclear weapons test in 2017. And on November 29, it launched an intercontinental ballistic missile.

Following these tests, Kim Jong-un declared that North Korea had completed the development of its nuclear program. From that moment on, Pyongyang found itself in a position of strength: “We have nuclear weapons. We are a powerful nation. As long as they don't attack us first, we are willing to talk and we can talk about everything!" That was his message. It has been Pyongyang's usual strategy for a long time. They negotiate peace and at the same time move towards But convey that message to Washington It meant passing through Seoul. The North took advantage of Kim Yo-jong's visit to South Korea to launch the new initiative: Kim Yo-jong gave the South Korean president a personal letter from his brother, inviting him to a meeting.

Kim Yo-jong's visit to Seoul, the next phase in easing tensions took place here, in the Demilitarized Zone of the 38th parallel. This border area between the two Koreas is a legacy of the Korean War that took place between. 1950 and 1953. The conflict ended with an armistice, but no peace treaty was ever signed. This is Panmunjom, once a village and now the only crossing between the two countries despite being in the “Demilitarized Zone”, It is one of the most militarized places in the world. On April 27, 2018, Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in held a symbolic meeting here.

It came just two months after Kim Yo-jong's mission to Seoul. She was also present at this historic meeting, this time in a supporting role. The two Korean leaders shook hands across the simple strip of concrete that separates their countries. In this conflict, there is no stronger symbol than this place, marked by the indelible memory of the war. Legitimized by her role as her brother's confidant, Kim Yo-jong was omnipresent on North Korean state television. She collected the flowers offered by the children, made sure that protocol was followed to the letter and even took notes during the talks.

The delegation was visibly under her spell. And back in Seoul, a spokesperson for her government spoke warmly of her. My impression of Kim Yo-jong was positive. At first glance, she seemed incredibly respectful, efficient, and sincere. This young woman made a strong impression on me. She wasn't flamboyant, but she expressed herself well whenever she was asked something...although she never asked a question. The honeymoon period continued for the next few months. Moon Jae-in went to Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, receiving a spectacular welcome. Once again, Kim Yo-jong was in the background, carefully making sure everything went as planned.

At the third North-South summit of the year, she was even allowed to personally greet the South Korean president. It turned out that this rapprochement between the two Koreas was the prelude to an even more surprising diplomatic breakthrough. US President Donald Trump agreed to meet Kim Jong-un in Singapore. It was a historic first, organized against the advice of hawks in his administration, such as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and especially National Security Advisor John Bolton. Nearly 70 years after the end of the Korean War, Kim Jong-un received from Donald Trump something that previous American presidents had systematically denied his father and grandfather: recognition.

It was an amazing political victory. In Singapore, Donald Trump enjoyed the company of the young North Korean leader, the man whose country Trump had threatened to destroy in his UN speech just a year earlier. Despite their many differences, such as age, lifestyle, political outlook and style, the two men clearly got along well. The two leaders signed a joint statement. In vague terms, he mentioned the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Kim Yo-jong was placed on the same level as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. She was a discreet but capable presence next to her brother. Surely these images would have legitimized her even more in the eyes of the North Korean public.

In the presence of her brother, Kim Yo-jong, the star took a back seat during her visit to South Korea. The Kim family hierarchy dictates the regime's power structure. I don't think any of us could have known that she was her sister unless we had seen pictures and knew who she was. She behaved like a member of staff and there was no indication of a family relationship. Only Kim Jong-un spoke on behalf of North Korea, even on the most informal occasions, such as the dinners the two delegations held together. She was at a lunch we had on the day of the negotiations.

It wasn't really a business lunch. It was more informal but I don't remember her saying anything over the course of the lunch. I'm not sure I remember anyone on the North Korean side other than Kim Jong-un saying anything over lunch. Therefore, when the Supreme Leader is present at an official meeting, his officials are visibly afraid of displeasing the Supreme Leader. Kim Yo-jong is not afraid of her brother, but at an important public event, Kim Yo-jong would be out of line to speak unless Kim Jong-un asked her to speak. The goodwill of the Singapore Summit did not last long.

There were two more meetings between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un, in February 2019 in Hanoi, and the following June in Panmunjom, on the demarcation line between the two Koreas. But the diplomatic process was at an impasse. There was no agreement on denuclearization. No new agreement was signed in Hanoi, after Trump's advisers persuaded him not to do so. The period of rapprochement seemed to be over. Trump had dreamed of diplomatic success, but, like his predecessors, these hopes were dashed by the issue of nuclear weapons. Each administration believed that they could negotiate some kind of agreement with North Korea that was acceptable to both sides and that would involve North Korea giving up its nuclear weapons program, and they were wrong every time.

North Korea has made multiple written commitments to abandon its nuclear weapons program, but never achieves it. Since diplomacy had failed, military tensions increased again. North Korea resumed ballistic missile testing and conducted no fewer than 21 launches in 2019, a pace the country maintained for years to come. Once again, North Korea demonstrated force in its attempt to be taken seriously. Kim Yo-jong's role also changed. As he rose through the ranks of the Party and the hierarchy of power, his rhetoric became more confrontational. In 2018, he wowed South Korea at the opening of the Winter Olympics. Two years later, he promised an “apocalypse” and the destruction of the “imperialists” and their “lackeys,” that is, the United States and South Korea.

That leaves Kim Jong-un withthe ability to hold down the fort at home. And furthermore, when these extremely harsh statements against South Korea and the United States are attributed to him, he still leaves it above everything, above the fray. At the center of the policy shift was the Inter-Korean Liaison Office, established in the North Korean border city of Kaesong. The new building, funded by South Korea, opened in September 2018, amid hopes for warmer relations. The building did not last even a year. On June 16, 2019, North Korea blew it up, broadcasting these images to the world. Kim Yo-jong was at the forefront of these new hostilities.

He called the South Korean president, the same president with whom he had initiated a détente the previous year, "crazy." Renewed tensions were sparked by the actions of a group of dissidents who had fled to the South. Activists sent balloons across the border loaded with leaflets. Kim Yo-jong's words were undoubtedly part of the North's careful construction of his image. But the people of the South, who had believed in the fairy tale of the lovely princess of Pyongyang, were shocked. She ordered the bombing of the inter-Korean liaison office, which really damaged his reputation. In South Korean society, Kim Yo-jong is now viewed in both a positive and negative light.

You could say that he represents a mix of expectation and disappointment. The tone was already set. In Pyongyang, it was Kim Yo-jong who led the charge against the South Koreans and the United States, again called the “imperialist enemy.” She again and again wrote aggressive statements read on state television, signed with her official title: Deputy Director of the Department of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea. Returning to the traditional language of North Korean threats, she promised Americans “retaliation that will keep them awake at night.” She responds to South Korea's offer of economic aid in exchange for denuclearization with the words: "No one changes their destiny for a little corn." In August 2021, Seoul reacted to rising tensions by announcing that it would resume joint military exercises with the United States that had been suspended during the period of improving relations.

Kim Yo-jong's response was quick and bitter. The Korean Peninsula will never see peace as long as American troops remain in South Korea. A few years after her visit to Seoul, she added in a personal message of hers that she "deeply regretted" what she called the "deceitful behavior" of the South Korean authorities. The breakup was now complete. Kim Yo-jong's words were a demand to the world that North Korea be seen and taken seriously as a nuclear power. For years, the international community had worked in vain to denuclearize the country, a goal that experts have since virtually abandoned.

When you have a country like North Korea determined to get nuclear weapons, you can negotiate forever and you will never get them to give up their weapons. Was there a time in the past when the denuclearization of North Korea was possible? I don't know. Nobody can answer that. I mean, Kim Jong-un would have to have his head examined if he was really willing to give up his nuclear arsenal, after his predecessors, his father and his grandfather, dedicated half a century to it. build them. And, of course, Kim Jong-un's domestic legitimacy comes largely from his decade-long legacy of greatly advancing his nation's nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities.

The real denuclearization of North Korea is today an impossibility. Still, Washington is not willing to grant North Korea nuclear power status. The strategic consequences would be immense, because South Korea or even Japan could try to acquire their own nuclear weapons. The climate of confrontation has allowed Pyongyang to justify its economic policies and exercise absolute control over the population. It has also allowed Kim Yo-jong to present herself as an indispensable figure for the country, both in times of peace and conflict. North Koreans are trying to present Kim Yo-jong as a fearsome, strong, bold, sometimes threatening and sometimes charming political figure.

But is he ready to take on a bigger role? He still looks like that young woman who understands that she has a role to play. Maybe he has those ambitions, but he still has a way to go politically in terms of that confidence and that sense of authority. On the podium, Kim Yo-jong demonstrates the skills she has already honed over the years. His rhetoric is that of an uncompromising leader. But how far can she go? Could Kim Yo-jong one day rule North Korea? It's possible that she could succeed her brother, especially given the persistent rumors about her major health problems.

And she is above all a Kim, descendant of the mythical lineage of Mount Paektu. If Kim Jong-un were unable to continue ruling North Korea due to health problems, Kim Yo-jong would most likely take his place. In this society, Kim Yo-Jong, Kim Jong-Il's daughter, has more authority than other officials. Regardless of her official title, it is clear that she is second in command in North Korea. This change in patriarchal attitudes was highlighted when Kim Jong-un introduced one of his own daughters, nine-year-old Kim Ju-ae, to the public for the first time. The symbolically important move occurred during an intercontinental ballistic missile test in 2022, when the "young girl in red shoes" appeared next to her father.

The scene was widely publicized by North Korean media. Regardless of who succeeds the current leader, the Kim family appears set to maintain power. It's been a decade since the public first glimpsed Kim Jong-il's shy daughter. Kim Yo-jong has since proven that she really is the daughter of the Kim dynasty and the "Red Princess" of North Korea.