Kim raises sister profile with Politburo post

Bloomberg

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un raised the standing of his sister as a key player in the secretive state and bolstered his new foreign minister in a cadre shuffle that comes as he tries to fend off the coronavirus pandemic.
Part emissary, part personal assistant, Kim Yo Jong was reinstated to her position as an alternate Politburo member of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK), state media said. The move returned her to the powerful decision-making body after she left the post last April and follows a series of roles since that included responding to overtures from US President Donald Trump.
“Her media profile over the years suggests that her profile will continue to rise and that her role will continue to expand,” said Rachel Minyoung Lee, a former North Korea analyst with the US government.
Meanwhile, General Pak Jong Chon, the former head of the North Korean army’s artillery division and currently the army’s chief of staff , was named as a full member of the Politburo. Foreign Minister Ri Son Gwon, a former army officer who once led talks with South Korea, was named as an alternate member.
“Pak’s quick promotion and Ri’s lower position in the Political Bureau seem to reflect Kim Jong-un’s policy priorities — national defense, with an emphasis on artillery over diplomacy,” Lee said.
North Korea held two major events over the weekend, with Kim Jong-un overseeing a meeting of the Politburo addressing the “danger” of the coronavirus pandemic. The country’s rubber-stamp parliament known as the Supreme People’s Assembly met Sunday to implement the national budget.
While North Korea claims it has seen no coronavirus infections, the pandemic has put new pressures on Kim’s regime, which could see its antiquated and underfunded medical system overwhelmed by an outbreak. Kim Jong-un brought his already isolated country to a near standstill by sealing the borders in January to stop the virus, which halted the trickle of legal trade and tourism.
Meanwhile, Kim has kept his weapons programme churning, test-launching nine short-range ballistic missiles in March — a monthly record.
Kim Jong-un shook up his inner circle after Trump broke off a February 2019 summit in Hanoi.