Kim Yong Nam, who served as North Korea's ceremonial head of state from 1998 to 2019, has died at 97 from cancer-related multiple organ failure, state media reported. A longtime diplomat and former foreign minister, he represented the DPRK at major events including the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics and was regarded as a rare, enduring figure outside the ruling Kim family. Pyongyang announced a state funeral with a 100-member committee led by Kim Jong Un, who reportedly paid respects at the bier. South Korea's Unification Minister recalled meetings with Kim and credited his Olympic delegation with helping to open inter-Korean dialogue.
Kim Yong Nam, Veteran North Korean Diplomat and Ceremonial Head of State, Dies at 97
Kim Yong Nam, who served as North Korea's ceremonial head of state from 1998 to 2019, has died at 97 from cancer-related multiple organ failure, state media reported. A longtime diplomat and former foreign minister, he represented the DPRK at major events including the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics and was regarded as a rare, enduring figure outside the ruling Kim family. Pyongyang announced a state funeral with a 100-member committee led by Kim Jong Un, who reportedly paid respects at the bier. South Korea's Unification Minister recalled meetings with Kim and credited his Olympic delegation with helping to open inter-Korean dialogue.
15:10, 04.11.2025Politics
SEOUL, Nov. 4 — Kim Yong Nam, a veteran North Korean diplomat and senior politician who served across three generations of the ruling Kim family, has died at 97, state media reported Tuesday.
The official Korean Central News Agency said Kim died Monday from multiple organ failure brought on by cancer.
Kim held the post of President of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly — North Korea's largely ceremonial, rubber-stamp parliament — from 1998 to 2019, making him the country's nominal head of state during the tenures of Kim Jong Il and Kim Jong Un. He also served as foreign minister and often acted as the public face of North Korean diplomacy.
He attended a number of high-profile international events, most notably the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in South Korea, where he led a delegation that included Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of Kim Jong Un. That visit, which included a meeting with then-President Moon Jae-in, is credited with helping to kick-start a brief period of détente between the Koreas.
KCNA praised Kim's career, saying he had lived "a brilliant one in which he was highly honored for his allegiance to the revolution with pure loyalty and high ability under the care of the Party and the leader." The agency added that he "faithfully supported the Party's ideas and leadership and demonstrated his unique ability and experience in the international arena."
Born in 1928, Kim joined the Workers' Party of Korea in the 1950s and rose through senior ranks under founding leader Kim Il Sung. He was appointed to the Politburo in 1978 and served as foreign minister from 1983 to 1998.
Kim's survival at the top of a political system often marked by purges and reshuffles made him an unusually stable presence in Pyongyang's elite for decades. He retired in 2019 at the age of 91 after more than six decades of public service.
Pyongyang announced a state funeral and formed a 100-member national funeral committee chaired by Kim Jong Un to oversee the ceremonies. KCNA reported that Kim Jong Un visited Kim Yong Nam's bier early Tuesday to "express deep condolences over his death."
South Korea's Unification Minister Chung Dong-young expressed condolences and noted that Kim's delegation to the Pyeongchang Olympics helped "open the door to inter-Korean dialogue." Chung said he met Kim in Pyongyang in 2005 and 2018 and recalled "meaningful discussions about peace on the Korean Peninsula and the advancement of inter-Korean relations."