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North Korean Central Television broadcasts footage Kim Yo-jong

The decision for Kim Yo-jong, first vice director of the central committee of the North Korean Workers’ Party (KWP) and younger sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, to visit South Korea as a member of the high-ranking delegation to celebrate the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics comes as a major surprise. One possible interpretation is that Kim Jong-un selected his sister to be the messenger who can most accurately and clearly convey his intentions, suggesting that the high-ranking delegation’s visit to South Korea could have a major impact on future developments on the Korean Peninsula.

South Korea’s Ministry of Unification announced on the afternoon of Feb. 7 that North Korea sent notification that the high-ranking delegation led by Kim Yong-nam, the president of the Presidium of the North Korean Supreme People's Assembly, would include Kim Yo-jong; Choe Hwi, chairman of the National Sports Guidance Committee; and Ri Son-gwon, chair of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland. While Kim Yong-nam, who is North Korea’s head of state according to the constitution, gives the delegation “formal” legitimacy, the inclusion of Kim Yo-jong, Kim Jong-un’s closest relative, appears to raise the delegation’s “substance” to the highest possible level.

“Kim Yo-jong is someone who can report what she sees and hears in South Korea to Kim Jong-un without any kind of filter. Kim Jong-un apparently needs to obtain some more information about conditions on the ground [from his sister],” said former Unification Minister Jeong Se-hyun.

This is the first time a member of the North Korean ruling family has visited South Korea since the division of the peninsula. And since Kim Yo-jong has been working alongside her older brother since he took power, her inclusion on the delegation appears to have been one of the strongest cards in North Korea’s deck.

North Korea’s actions since Kim Jong-un’s New Year’s address on Jan. 1 have been one series of surprises. Amid a string of agreements reached through inter-Korean dialogue that began with high-level talks on Jan. 9, there has been speculation that Pyongyang is considering what will happen after the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, instead of focusing solely on its participation in the games.

“North Korea’s decision for Kim Yo-jong to visit South Korea basically shows that the North intends not only to restore inter-Korean relations but to actively stabilize affairs on the Korean Peninsula,” said former Unification Minister Lee Jong-seok. According to Lee, North Korea has taken steps to improve inter-Korean relations during the Pyeongchang Olympics while also playing the trump card of sending Kim Yo-jong to South Korea in order to reduce tensions on the Korean Peninsula, which have been heightened by North Korea’s nuclear weapons and missile programs.

“Conversely, this surprising move may imply that North Korea is taking the tensions on the Korean Peninsula very seriously,” said a former senior government official who is familiar with inter-Korean affairs.

Kim Yong-nam and the rest of North Korea’s high-ranking delegation are likely to meet South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the Blue House on Feb. 10, the day after they attend the opening ceremony of the Pyeongchang Olympics on Feb. 9. Considering that Kim Yo-jong understands her older brother’s true intentions better than anyone else, this could lead to an “indirect conversation” between Moon Jae-in and Kim Jong-un, with Kim Yo-jong serving as a proxy.

“[Kim Yo-jong] is likely to be given considerable discretionary authority for her trip. We expect that some weighty topics will come up in her conversation [with us],” an official at the Blue House said.

Some analysts think that there has already been an exchange of views between South and North Korea. “The fact that North Korea decided to send Kim Yo-jong shows that Seoul and Pyongyang have already privately shared some of their opinions about the situation,” said Koo Kab-woo, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies. If Kim Jong-un is willing to put forward his own flesh and blood, in other words, he may have made some kind of “strategic decision” about the crisis on the Korean Peninsula that was triggered by the nuclear weapon and missile issue.

The crucial variable is how the US will respond. South Korea and the US have already created the minimum conditions for dialogue with their unilateral decision to delay their yearly military exercises. Since declaring the “completion of the state nuclear force” following its successful test launch of the Hwasong-15 missile on Nov. 29 of last year, North Korea has refrained from carrying out any nuclear weapon or missile provocations for more than two months. The US embracing North Korea’s overture could crack open the window of opportunity for North Korea-US dialogue.

At the same time, Seoul seems to be consciously avoiding excessive optimism. “The most important thing is the nuclear weapon and missile issue. We’re basically still taking our first step, and we’re probably not going to be getting into serious topics [like the question of denuclearization] during the first meeting,” said an official at the Blue House.

By Jung In-hwan and Seong Yeon-cheol, staff reporters

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