In her slim-fitting pantsuits and black-heeled shoes, Kim Yo Jong cuts a contrasting figure to her pudgy older brother, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

On Thursday, state media said the younger Kim, 27, had taken a senior position in the ruling Workers' Party, confirming speculation that she had moved closer to the center of power in the secretive state. It named her as a vice director alongside the head of the Propaganda and Agitation Department, which handles ideology through the media, arts and culture.

Kim Yo Jong's title supports earlier reports from a North Korean defector group that said she may have taken a high-level role when Kim Jong Un recently disappeared from public view for more than a month, prompting speculation about his grip on power.