6 months ago
2
Kim Yong Nam, a quintessential North Korean bureaucrat whose lifelong loyalty to the ruling Kim dynasty allowed him to service arsenic the country's ceremonial caput of authorities for 2 decades, has died, authorities media reported connected Tuesday (November 4, 2025).
The Korean Central News Agency said Kim Yong Nam, erstwhile president of the Presidium of North Korea's rubber-stamp Supreme People's Assembly, died connected Monday of aggregate organ nonaccomplishment astatine the property of 97.
KCNA said that North Korean person Kim Jong Un visited the bier of Kim Yong Nam to explicit heavy condolences implicit his death. It said Kim Yong Nam's ceremonial was acceptable for Thursday.
Kim Yong Nam was not related to Kim Jong Un, the 3rd procreation of his household to regularisation North Korea. Kim Jong Un, grandson of authorities laminitis Kim Il Sung, took powerfulness upon his begetter Kim Jong Il's decease successful 2011 successful the country's 2nd hereditary powerfulness transfer.
Kim Yong Nam served arsenic caput of the Supreme People's Assembly from 1998 to April 2019. That station is North Korea's nominal caput of state, though the existent powerfulness was held by the Kim household that has ruled the North since its ceremonial instauration successful 1948.
Kim Yong Nam, who was known for propaganda-filled speeches with a deep, booming dependable astatine cardinal authorities events, often appeared successful authorities media greeting visiting overseas dignitaries connected behalf of Kim Jong Un and his precocious begetter Kim Jong Il.
In February 2018, helium travelled to South Korea with Kim Jong Un's influential sister, Kim Yo Jong, to be the opening ceremonial of the Pyeongchang Olympics arsenic Pyongyang sought amended ties with Seoul and Washington aft years of heightened animosities connected the Korean Peninsula.
The travel made Kim Yong Nam the highest-level North Korean authoritative to sojourn South Korea since Kim Jong Un sent a apical subject serviceman to be the closing ceremonial of the 2014 Asian Games successful Incheon.
At the Pyeongchang opening ceremony, Kim Yong Nam and Kim Yo Jong sat wrong feet of then-US vice-president Mike Pence, though the 2 sides made nary evident contact.
North Korea's impermanent diplomatic openness peaked with the summits betwixt Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump successful 2018 and 2019, but Kim Yong Nam did not be them and his power was seen arsenic waning owed to his age.
In April 2019, helium was replaced by Choe Ryong Hae, 1 of Kim Jong Un's adjacent confidants who antecedently served arsenic the apical governmental serviceman of the North's 1.2 million-member military.
Kim Yong Nam's vocation epitomised that of a palmy North Korean bureaucrat. He joined the ruling Workers' Party soon aft the 1950-53 Korean War and survived large governmental purges done the 1970s. He was appointed to the almighty Politburo successful 1978 and served 15 years arsenic overseas minister, starting successful 1983. During his tenure, the Berlin Wall fell and the Soviet Union disintegrated, leaving North Korea isolated.
North Korea watchers besides accidental Kim Yong Nam had an expertise successful third-world diplomacy. He was a predominant subordinate successful gatherings of nations that see themselves autarkic from large powerfulness blocs, including the 2012 Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) acme successful Iran.
People who met Kim Yong Nam described him arsenic mild-mannered but staunch successful his opinions.
“I recovered Kim Yong Nam a puzzling figure. In greetings earlier concern began, helium was cordial and relaxed, but erstwhile astatine work, helium relentlessly followed his publication successful a mode that reminded of erstwhile Soviet overseas curate Andrei Gromyko,” erstwhile Washington Post newsman Don Oberdofer wrote successful his book, “The Two Koreas".
In a testament to his loyalty to the ruling dynasty, Kim Yong Nam work an elegy to Kim Il Sung erstwhile helium died successful 1994. He besides undertook the occupation of formally nominating Kim Jong Il to beryllium president of the National Defence Commission aft the lad observed a three-year mourning period.
A autochthonal of Pyongyang, Kim Yong Nam studied astatine the Kim Il Sung University and the Moscow State University. (AP) ARI
