Kim Jong-un appoints sister to top ranks of his inner circle
KIM JONG-UN, the North Korean dictator, has appointed his sister to the politburo, the most powerful body in the isolated regime’s ruling party.
Kim Yo-jong, 28, who was in January subjected to a US Treasury blacklist for North Korea’s human rights abuses, will replace her aunt, Kim Kyong-hui, who is believed to be seriously ill, as alternate member of the politburo.
In an address on Saturday to his ruling Workers’ Party, the North Korean leader also underlined his commitment to developing nuclear weapons, despite mounting from pressure from the US to back down.
Kim Jong-un, chairman of the party, accused the US of trying to “completely stifle the sovereignty of North Korea” by “cooking up” sanctions resolutions in the United Nations.
He added that the geopolitical situation in north-east Asia showed that the regime had been “absolutely right” to push ahead with the creation of more powerful nuclear weapons and that it should “keep to this road in the future”, North Korea’s KCNA news agency said.
Donald Trump, the US president, remained unconciliatory on Saturday, tweeting that he does not rule out military action against North Korea.
Shinzo Abe, the Japanese prime minister, yesterday vowed to impose “all possible pressure” on North Korea over its nuclear and missile programmes, promising to ensure national security.