Like brother Kim Jong-un, Kim Yo-jong has often been misunderstood. Solely by virtue of having attended school in Switzerland, the brother was initially viewed by many as a potential reformer. In 2018, his coming out, with beaming smiles and shaking hands with world leaders, triggered similar forecasts. Perhaps, just perhaps, this time was different?

Similar fancies have swirled around the sister, with 2018 a banner year for both Kim siblings. First, she brought glamour and gossip to the PyeongChang Olympics. Then she shadowed her brother as he met then-South Korean president Moon Jae-in April, Chinese President Xi Jinping in May, Moon again later in May, then-President Donald Trump in June, and Moon in Pyongyang in September.