North Korean leader Kim Jong-un appears to be tightening his grip on power. He was awarded the title of General Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea at a party conference in Pyongyang, South Korean news agency Yonhap reports.

 

His father Kim Jong-il and grandfather Kim Il-sung had the same title.

The Kim family has ruthlessly ruled North Korea for decades. Dictator Kim Jong-il came to power after his father’s death in 2011. South Korean analysts saw the new leader’s sister, Kim Yo-young, as North Korea’s de facto “number 2”.

However, their prediction that she would be promoted at the party congress does not seem to have come true.

Sister Kim Yo-young did not return to the powerful politburo at the summit. That may seem like a degradation, but according to observers it does not automatically mean that her position has been weakened, Yonhap writes.

Regardless of her title, the leader’s sister could play an essential role in the government.