Seoul, Jun 25 (IANS): Kim Yo-jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, appears to have been promoted to a leadership role, South Korea's spy agency said on Tuesday.

The status of Kim Yong-chol, who served as a chief negotiator in nuclear talks with the US, also seems to have fallen, following the no-deal summit between the Kim Jong-un and American President Donald Trump, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) said in a closed-door briefing to lawmakers.

Kim Yo-jong, who has assumed the No. 2 post of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea's (WPK) propaganda and agitation department, was spotted sitting next to Kim Yong-chol to watch the country's propaganda performance last week, an event to celebrate Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to the North, reports Yonhap News Agency.

"She appears to have been promoted to the leader level. Her status seems to have been raised following a role adjustment," the NIS said.

According to unconfirmed reports, Kim Yo-jong was disciplined in the wake of the breakdown of the Kim-Trump summit in February in Vietnam as she disappeared for more than two months from public view.

But she returned to the public eye in early June when attending the propaganda group gymnastics and artist performance.

The NIS said that she appeared to be on the same level as Choe Ryong-hae, de facto No. 2 man in the country, and Ri Su-yong, vice chairman of the WPK.