Kim Yong-nam, North Korea’s longtime ceremonial head of state, has passed away at the age of 97. He served as the President of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly, a position that functioned as the country’s nominal head of state.
Kim held the post from 1998 to April 2019 and represented North Korea in meetings with various foreign leaders. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un paid his respects to Kim Yong-nam’s body and expressed condolences. His funeral will be held on Thursday.
Although Kim Yong-nam was not related to Kim Jong-un’s family, he remained loyal to the Kim family throughout his life — a loyalty that allowed him to stay in power for over two decades.
After the 1950–53 Korean War, he joined the ruling Workers’ Party and became a member of the Politburo in 1978. In 1983, he was appointed as Foreign Minister and led North Korea’s foreign policy for 15 years.
During the collapse of the Soviet Union and North Korea’s international isolation, he played a key role in maintaining ties with countries in the developing world, including participating in numerous Non-Aligned Movement summits such as the 2012 conference in Iran.
