North Korean leader Kim Jong Un led the state funeral for Kim Yong Nam, the country's longtime ceremonial head of state, who died at 97. KCNA reported a 100-member funeral committee, senior officials and family accompanied the burial at the Patriotic Martyrs' Cemetery as citizens lined the procession route. Kim chaired the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly from 1998 to April 2019 and played a visible diplomatic role, including attending the 2018 Winter Olympics delegation to South Korea. State media said he had been treated for colon cancer and died after multiple organ failures.
Kim Jong Un Presides Over State Funeral for Longtime Ceremonial Head of State Kim Yong Nam, 97
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un led the state funeral for Kim Yong Nam, the country's longtime ceremonial head of state, who died at 97. KCNA reported a 100-member funeral committee, senior officials and family accompanied the burial at the Patriotic Martyrs' Cemetery as citizens lined the procession route. Kim chaired the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly from 1998 to April 2019 and played a visible diplomatic role, including attending the 2018 Winter Olympics delegation to South Korea. State media said he had been treated for colon cancer and died after multiple organ failures.
05:27, 06.11.2025Politics
Pyongyang — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un presided over the state funeral for Kim Yong Nam, the country's longtime ceremonial head of state, who died Monday at age 97, state media reported.
KCNA said Kim Jong Un and senior officials from a 100-member funeral committee joined family members as Kim Yong Nam — not related to the ruling Kim family — was laid to rest Wednesday at Pyongyang's Patriotic Martyrs' Cemetery.
Official photographs released by state media showed citizens bowing along the procession route as a vehicle bearing Kim Yong Nam's flag-draped coffin and a large portrait made its way to the cemetery, where top officials stood at the entrance to receive the remains.
Premier Pak Thae Song delivered a eulogy. According to KCNA, participants "prayed for the immortality of the pure soul and revolutionary spirit of Kim Yong Nam, who made a distinguished contribution" to the Party and the state. Kim Jong Un and what appeared to be hundreds of mourners in formal civilian dress and military uniform then bowed in silent tribute before the burial.
Kim Yong Nam served as chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly — the formal, nominal head-of-state role — from 1998 until April 2019. While the post carried ceremonial prominence, actual political power has long remained concentrated in the Kim family dynasty that has ruled North Korea since 1948.
Over a lengthy government career, Kim Yong Nam played a visible role in diplomatic occasions. In February 2018 he traveled to South Korea as part of an official delegation that included Kim Yo Jong to attend the opening of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, a high-profile visit that accompanied a temporary diplomatic thaw with Seoul and outreach to Washington. Those talks later faltered after a stalled summit between Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump in 2019 amid disputes over sanctions and denuclearization.
State media said Kim Yong Nam was replaced by Choe Ryong-hae in April 2019. KCNA reported he had been treated for colon cancer since June of the previous year and died after suffering multiple organ failures.
Note: This account is based on official North Korean reporting (KCNA). Independent verification of events inside North Korea is limited.