SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s sister, an increasingly prominent figure in the country’s leadership, will be part of the North’s delegation to the South Korean Winter Olympics, officials said Wednesday.
Kim Yo Jong, believed to be around 30, will be the first member of North Korea’s ruling family to visit South Korea since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. Analysts say her inclusion in the Olympic delegation shows North Korea’s ambition to use the Olympics to break out from diplomatic isolation by improving relations with the South, which it could use as a bridge for approaching the United States.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s office welcomed North Korea’s decision, saying it showed the North’s willingness to cooperate in easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula. It wasn’t immediately clear whether Kim Yo Jong will meet with Moon, a liberal who has expressed a desire to reach out to the North.
While South Korea prepared to welcome Kim Yo Jong, Vice President Mike Pence said in Japan that the U.S. is preparing to announce the “toughest and most aggressive” economic sanctions against North Korea, boosting pressure on its government during the Olympics. U.S. officials declined to provide details of the expected sanctions.
Experts said by sending a youthful, photogenic person who will undoubtedly attract international attention during the games, North Korea is trying to construct a fresher and warmer public image and defuse potential U.S. efforts to use the Olympics to highlight the North’s brutal human rights record.