He held various diplomatic posts under the rule of North Korea's founder Kim Il-sung, his son Kim Jong-il, and now his grandson Kim Jong-un. He was considered a loyalist of the Kim dynasty.
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International media outlets have reported that Kim Yong-nam, former chairman of North Korea's Supreme People's Assembly, has died at the age of 97, citing North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). He was chairman of the Supreme People's Assembly from 1998 to 2019.
He held various diplomatic posts under the rule of North Korea's founder Kim Il Sung, his son Kim Jong Il and now his grandson Kim Jong Un. He was considered a loyalist of the Kim dynasty.
According to North Korea's Central News Agency (KCNA), he died of multiple organ failure. The agency said, "He is a revolutionary of the old generation. He left behind a remarkable legacy that has shaped the history of our party and country." He will be buried with state honors.
Although he worked with three generations of the Kim dynasty, he is not a relative of that family. He was born when the Korean Peninsula was a Japanese colony. The KNCA has called him an "anti-Japanese nationalist." After completing his studies at Kim Il Sung University in Pyongyang, he also studied for some time in Moscow.
He then began his political career in the 1950s. He served first as North Korea's foreign minister and then as chairman of the Supreme People's Assembly. Although real power in North Korea lies with the Kim family, Kim Yong-nam was seen by the international community as the country's representative.
He held talks with South Korean presidents at inter-Korean summits in 2000 and 2007. He also led the North Korean delegation to the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea. South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-yong expressed his condolences to Nam. He also said he had meaningful talks with Nam on peace on the Korean peninsula.
