A mysterious woman has been seen accompanying North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. It is fueling reports that another member of his family has emerged into the spotlight. At numerous recent arrangements, the enigmatic woman, who has been tentatively identified as Kim Sol-song, the dictator’s half-sister, was videotaped watching over him.
She seems to be in her late 30s or 40s. The woman wears glasses and carries a large handbag. It could contain supplies the dictator may require in an emergency, such as medication. She was also in the area of Kim Jong-Un’s Mercedes in February, presenting him with his address at a major political event.
According to Michael Madden, a top specialist on North Korea‘s elite, she could be a member of the leader’s inner circle. “We do not know what job or function this individual discharges,” he said. “But because she was observed leaving Kim Jong-un’s personal car at an event; it is a reasonable and safe assumption that she works directly for him in his executive office. Kim Jong-un has four or five individuals – men and women – who work as administrative and personal assistants to him. This woman might be his private secretary,” he added.
The woman could be his secretary
If the woman in issue is Kim Sol-song, 47, she comes to the job with a plethora of expertise. She worked as an event planner for Kim Jong-il, the former North Korean leader who fathered both herself and Kim Jong-un until he died in 2011. It’s a “critical” post, according to Madden, who runs the North Korea Leadership Watch website.
“It involves coordinating the leader’s schedule, his security arrangements, protocol and press coverage requirements, etc. In a political culture like North Korea’s, it is a pretty critical job as this individual controls what elite North Korean citizens have access to the leader – at least for public events,” Madden said. “When Kim Jong-un assumed the leadership ten years ago, she was a core elite political supporter; and provided his succession and transition with effectual support.”
Kim Yo-jong, the leader’s full sister, already holds a public role in the North Korean administration. Kim Sol-song, on the other hand, has stayed out of the spotlight so far.
