North Korea says its longtime ceremonial head of state Kim Yong Nam has died

Kim Yong Nam a quintessential North Korean bureaucrat whose lifelong loyalty to the ruling Kim dynasty allowed him to serve as the countrys ceremonial head of state for two decades has died state media reported on Tuesday The Korean Central News Agency said Kim Yong Nam former president of the Presidium of North Koreas rubberstamp Supreme Peoples Assembly died on Monday of multiple organ failure at the age of 97KCNA said that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited the bier of Kim Yong Nam to express deep condolences over his death It said Kim Yong Nams funeral was set for Thursday Kim Yong Nam was not related to Kim Jong Un the third generation of his family to rule North Korea Kim Jong Un grandson of state founder Kim Il Sung took power upon his father Kim Jong Ils death in 2011 in the countrys second hereditary power transferKim Yong Nam served as head of the Supreme Peoples Assembly from 1998 to April 2019 That post is North Koreas nominal head of state though the true power was held by the Kim family that has ruled the North since its formal foundation in 1948 Kim Yong Nam who was known for propagandafilled speeches with a deep booming voice at key state events often appeared in state media greeting visiting foreign dignitaries on behalf of Kim Jong Un and his late father Kim Jong IlIn February 2018 he travelled to South Korea with Kim Jong Uns influential sister Kim Yo Jong to attend the opening ceremony of the Pyeongchang Olympics as Pyongyang sought better ties with Seoul and Washington after years of heightened animosities on the Korean Peninsula The trip made Kim Yong Nam the highestlevel North Korean official to visit South Korea since Kim Jong Un sent a top military officer to attend the closing ceremony of the 2014 Asian Games in IncheonAt the Pyeongchang opening ceremony Kim Yong Nam and Kim Yo Jong sat within feet of thenUS vicepresident Mike Pence though the two sides made no apparent contact North Koreas temporary diplomatic openness peaked with the summits between Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump in 2018 and 2019 but Kim Yong Nam did not attend them and his influence was seen as waning due to his ageIn April 2019 he was replaced by Choe Ryong Hae one of Kim Jong Uns close confidants who previously served as the top political officer of the Norths 12 millionmember military Kim Yong Nams career epitomised that of a successful North Korean bureaucrat He joined the ruling Workers Party shortly after the 195053 Korean War and survived major political purges through the 1970s He was appointed to the powerful Politburo in 1978 and served 15 years as foreign minister starting in 1983 During his tenure the Berlin Wall fell and the Soviet Union disintegrated leaving North Korea isolatedNorth Korea watchers also say Kim Yong Nam had an expertise in thirdworld diplomacy He was a frequent participant in gatherings of nations that consider themselves independent from major power blocs including the 2012 NonAligned Movement NAM summit in Iran People who met Kim Yong Nam described him as mildmannered but staunch in his opinionsI found Kim Yong Nam a puzzling figure In greetings before business began he was cordial and relaxed but once at work he relentlessly followed his script in a way that reminded of former Soviet foreign minister Andrei Gromyko former Washington Post reporter Don Oberdofer wrote in his book The Two KoreasIn a testament to his loyalty to the ruling dynasty Kim Yong Nam read an elegy to Kim Il Sung when he died in 1994 He also undertook the job of formally nominating Kim Jong Il to be chairman of the National Defence Commission after the son observed a threeyear mourning period A native of Pyongyang Kim Yong Nam studied at the Kim Il Sung University and the Moscow State UniversityThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever