Longtime North Korean diplomat under three leaders dies at 97

Kim Yong Nam, former president of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly who played a key diplomatic role under three generations of North Korean leaders, including Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il and Kim Jong Un, died on Nov. 3. He was 97.

South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young expressed condolences on Nov. 4, saying Kim helped open the door to inter-Korean dialogue.

The state-run Korean Central News Agency reported that Comrade Kim Yong Nam, an elder revolutionary who made outstanding contributions to strengthening and developing our Party and state, passed away at the age of 97. The agency said Kim had been receiving treatment for colon cancer since June last year and died of multiple organ failure caused by cancer-related intoxication.

Kim Jong Un, chairman of the State Affairs Commission, visited the Sojang Funeral Hall in Pyongyang’s Botonggang District at 1 a.m. to pay his respects. The funeral will be held as a state ceremony.

Kim began his career as a diplomat in his 20s and served under all three generations of the Kim family. He was appointed vice premier and foreign minister in 1983 and later served as president of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly from 1998 to 2019, a position regarded as equivalent to head of state. In February 2018, he visited South Korea with Kim Yo Jong, then vice department director of the Workers’ Party, to attend the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and meet then-President Moon Jae-in.

Minister Chung expressed his condolences in a message, saying, “I extend my deepest sympathy upon hearing of former Chairman Kim’s passing.” He added, “Kim Yong Nam helped lay the groundwork for inter-Korean dialogue when he led the North Korean delegation to the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in 2018. I sincerely pray for his eternal rest and offer my condolences to his family and officials in the North.”

In the past, the South Korean government has sent condolence messages through official channels following the deaths of senior North Korean officials, including Ri Yong Mu, vice chairman of the National Defense Commission; Lim Dong Ok, head of the United Front Department; and Kim Yang Gon, who also led the department.


Oh-Hyuk Kwon hyuk@donga.com