North Korea's Kim promotes sister, reaffirms nuclear drive

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has promoted his sister to a senior ruling party post, state media said on Sunday, and praised the country's nuclear weapons programme which has sparked international alarm.

Kim Yo-Jong becomes an alternate member of the party's powerful politburo, the decision-making body presided over by her brother, the official KCNA news agency said. The promotion was announced along with those for dozens of other top officials at a party meeting led by the leader on Saturday. It came as the regime faces growing global pressure to curb its weapons drive following recent nuclear and missile tests. Tensions soared as Kim traded verbal threats with US President Donald Trump, who tweeted on Saturday that "only one thing will work" to tame the isolated nucleararmed state. The sister, in her late 20s, has frequently been seen accompanying her brother on his "field guidance trips" and other events and is known to have been involved in the party's propaganda operations. Both were born to the late former ruler Kim JongIl and his third partner, former dancer Ko Yong-Hui. The family has ruled N Korea since its creation in 1948. The current ruler came to power after the death of his father in December 2011. Since then he has overseen four of the country's six nuclear tests -- most recently in September -- while cementing his grip on power through a series of purges, including those targeting his uncle and half-brother.