Ring sparks rumours Kim's sister has married

Kim Jong-un's younger sister married the son of one of North Korea's most powerful officials last year, sources in China have claimed.

Kim Yo-jong, identified by official media for the first time in November as a deputy director of the ruling Workers' Party, married the second son of party secretary Choe Ryong-hae, Choe Song who is apparently in his 30s, Yonhap News said, citing unnamed sources.

A photo of Kim released by North Korean media this week, taken during a visit to the newly-built Pyongyang Baby Home and Orphanage on January 1, show Kim Yo-jong, believed to be 27, wearing a band on the ring finger of her left hand.

If true, the marriage would add to signs the Kim family is tightening its grip on power in North Korea, three years after the death of Kim Jong-il left control with the young and untested Kim Jong-un.

The Supreme Leader has purged his way to absolute authority by executing officials, including his uncle and deputy Jang Song-thaek in December 2013. Last year, Kim had about 10 senior party officials executed on charges including graft and watching South Korean soap operas, according to South Korean lawmakers who attended a briefing by the National Intelligence Service.

Analysts said Kim Yo-jong, who once studied with her brother in Switzerland, wields increasing influence within the hermit kingdom as the head of a propaganda unit in charge of her brother's official visits. In recent months she has regularly accompanied Kim on his "field guidance" trips.