Kim Yo-jong of North Korea Attends Geumsusan Memorial Ceremony, Displays 'Vigor'

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo In-ho] Kim Yo-jong, the deputy director of the Workers' Party of Korea and younger sister of Kim Jong-un, the General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, has once again demonstrated her continued presence.

According to sources on North Korea on the 11th, although Kim Yo-jong was not visible in the photos of the visit to the Kumsusan Memorial Palace reported on the morning of the 10th, security authorities confirmed that she did participate in the visit.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Kim Yo-jong was not seen in the photos of General Secretary Kim Jong-un's visit reported by the Korean Central News Agency and Rodong Sinmun.

Attention was focused on whether Kim Yo-jong's status, who is Kim Jong-un's sister and part of the 'Baekdu bloodline,' had changed, as she had always accompanied Kim during such visits.

In the video broadcast by Korean Central Television the previous day, covering the 73rd anniversary military parade and outdoor dance party for a total of 1 hour and 45 minutes, Kim Yo-jong was also not seen.

The government also commented on the absence of Kim Yo-jong.

In a written briefing, the Ministry of Unification stated in response to related questions, “Kim Yo-jong was unidentified during this military parade and the visit to the Kumsusan Palace, but it is necessary to observe whether she will attend upcoming political events.”

[Image source=Yonhap News]

However, footage reported by Korean Central Television in the afternoon showed that Kim Yo-jong participated in the visit along with about 80 officials from party and military institutions. It is presumed that she was not captured by the photographer's camera angle because she was seated at the edge of the fifth row.

Considering that Kim Yo-jong was in the same position during the visit to Kumsusan on the 27th anniversary of Kim Il-sung's death in July, it appears there has been no significant change in her status.

However, her absence from the military parade is unusual.

She attended the military parade for the 75th anniversary of the party's founding last October, as well as the 70th anniversary parade in October 2015, the parade commemorating Kim Il-sung's birthday in April 2017, the 'Army Day' parade in February 2018, and the 70th anniversary of the regime's founding parade in September of the same year.

At the military parade commemorating the 8th Party Congress in January, she also displayed her status by wearing the same black leather long coat as General Secretary Kim.

Meanwhile, the government stated regarding North Korea's 73rd anniversary military parade that “there was no mention of inter-Korean relations or other external relations,” and expressed its intention to monitor upcoming political events.

Since there was no mention of inter-Korean or external relations, the government plans to comprehensively assess North Korea's future policy direction, including foreign policy, by closely watching major political events such as the Supreme People's Assembly scheduled for September 28 and the Party Foundation Day on October 10.

Additionally, regarding the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) sanction restricting North Korea's participation in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, the government plans to monitor related developments, especially negotiations centered around the IOC.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.