Kim Jong-un’s younger sister, often seen at high profile international events, may have been demoted, suggest recent reports in the North Korean state press.

Kim Yo-jong, believed to be around 30, did not appear in official coverage of public events attended by the ruling party’s authoritative politburo on Sunday and Monday, reported the NK News website.

Her absence could mean that she has been removed from the elite ruling committee. While she attended last week’s parliamentary assembly meeting, her name was also not included on the list of alternate politburo members.

Ms Kim was elevated to become a member of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea’s Political Bureau in late 2017, in a move that was widely interpreted as a consolidation of the Kim family’s power, and the growing reach of the political dynasty’s younger generation.

It also made Ms Kim, who was already very influential behind the scenes as vice director of the party’s “propaganda and agitation” department, the most important woman, and possibly the second most powerful figure, in the reclusive regime.