There's something intriguing about North Korea, isn't there? Just because it's a mystery, closed off from the world for so long, and one that seems to get far more press than such a small, poor country ought to deserve.
And just when we think we've unraveled a North Korean mystery, another one pops up. This time, it was at one of the most covered events of the year, and it was happening just around the edges.
Really, at a summit negotiating the nuclear disarmament of North Korea, who else would the cameras focus on?
Well, for some eagle-eyed and possibly bored members of the media covering the summit, there was a game going on behind the scenes, trying to spot North Korea's most powerful woman.
That woman is Kim Yo Jong, and she's Kim Jong Un's sister.
Like so many aspects of the Hermit Kingdom, Kim Yo Jong is a bit of a mystery to outsiders despite her high rank in the nation.
She's Kim Jong Il's youngest child, but her exact age is unknown, believed to be between 29 and 31, and she's credited with helping Kim Jong Un succeed their father rather than one of their brothers.
Maybe that's because of the amount her brother gets, and maybe she's just shy.
But she only made her first public appearance in 2011, at Kim Jon Il's funeral.
Which seems like an odd thing for her to do, considering her status, but as South Korea's Unification Minister explained, "It is more natural for Kim's sister to hold the ashtray than for others to do it. If it was any other person, it could be interpreted as trying to flatter the leader."
Actually, she has a huge role in North Korea's government, heading up the propaganda department of the Worker's Party of Korea.
So, she's heavily involved in maintaining her brother's god-like image in North Korea — which might further explain why she's only ever seen on the periphery.
h/t Business Insider
