Kim Yo-jong, the director of the Workers’ Party of Korea’s General Affairs Department, was notably absent from appointments to the State Affairs Commission (North Korea’s equivalent to the White House) during the first session of the 15th Supreme People’s Assembly. This unusual development on Monday comes despite her promotion from deputy director to director at the 9th Party Congress in February.
North Korea held the inaugural meeting of the newly elected 15th Supreme People’s Assembly delegates on March 22, following their election on March 15. The meeting included newly elected delegates and key officials from the Party Central Committee, Cabinet, and military agencies. Kim Jong Un, the General Secretary of the Workers’ Party, attended the meeting in person.
During this session, North Korea reappointed Kim Jong Un as Chairman of the State Affairs Commission and named new Cabinet ministers.
Kim Yo-jong, who had been a member of the State Affairs Commission since 2019, was not included in the recent appointments to either the Commission or the Cabinet. Despite serving as a deputy director in the Party for the past seven years while simultaneously holding a position on the State Affairs Commission, she has now relinquished this role following her promotion within the Party.
The State Affairs Commission takes the lead in North Korea’s diplomacy with countries that do not engage in party-to-party exchanges. While North Korea maintains such exchanges with China, it cannot do so with the U.S. or South Korea, which is why the State Affairs Commission steps in. Kim Jong Un signed the agreements from the 2018 inter-Korean summits in his capacity as Chairman of the State Affairs Commission, reinforcing the perception that this body oversees North Korea’s summit diplomacy.
In this context, Kim Yo-jong’s absence from the State Affairs Commission is unexpected, given her role as North Korea’s key diplomat and spokesperson on major foreign affairs issues. Some analysts suggest this change may be linked to North Korea’s decision to abolish its existing inter-Korean initiatives and organizations following the two nations declaration. North Korea is expected to enshrine this two nations policy in its constitution about two years after its initial implementation in December 2023, signaling potential fundamental changes in its foreign policy and possibly altering Kim Yo-jong’s role.
Alternatively, some observers view her new position as head of the Party’s General Affairs Department as a natural evolution, given her increased authority within the Party, which necessitates a distribution of power and responsibilities.
The principles governing the composition of the State Affairs Commission may have also changed. The Commission typically includes the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly as the first vice-chairman, the Premier (vice-chairman), and representatives from various sectors, including Party secretaries and Cabinet ministers. Kim Yo-jong’s role as director of the General Affairs Department differs in nature from these positions, which could explain her exclusion from the Commission.
Following the recent Party Congress, the appointments to the State Affairs Commission and Cabinet have emphasized the generational shift that Kim Jong Un is pursuing. This has led to a prevailing analysis that the changes are unrelated to Kim Yo-jong’s political standing.
Professor Lim Eul-chul from Kyungnam University’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies stated that this reshuffle reflects a shift in power from the older generation to a practical, loyalist faction. Kim Yo-jong’s exclusion from the State Affairs Commission may indicate a focus on her central role within the Party rather than a decline in her status.