North Korea’s Former Ceremonial Head Kim Yong Nam Dies at 97

Kim Yong Nam, North Korea’s long-serving diplomat and former ceremonial head of state, has died at the age of 97, state media reported on Tuesday.

Kim Yong Nam passed away on Monday due to multiple organ failure. On Tuesday, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited his bier to express “deep condolences” and pay respects to one of the most enduring figures in the country’s political history. His funeral has been scheduled for Thursday in Pyongyang.

Kim Yong Nam served as the President of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly — North Korea’s nominal head of state — from 1998 until April 2019. Although he held the title of head of state, the real power remained with the Kim family, which has ruled North Korea since its founding in 1948.

A lifelong loyalist to the ruling dynasty, Kim Yong Nam worked closely under Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il, and Kim Jong Un, symbolizing decades of political continuity. Known for his deep, resonant speeches filled with ideological rhetoric, he often represented North Korea at major diplomatic events and international meetings.

In February 2018, Kim Yong Nam led a North Korean delegation to the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in South Korea, alongside Kim Jong Un’s sister Kim Yo Jong. The visit marked a rare moment of inter-Korean diplomacy and made him the highest-ranking North Korean official to travel to the South in years.

During his political career, Kim Yong Nam also served as Foreign Minister for 15 years, beginning in 1983. He was a veteran diplomat who played a key role in maintaining ties with nations in Africa, the Middle East, and the Non-Aligned Movement during times when North Korea faced increasing isolation.

Born in Pyongyang, Kim studied at Kim Il Sung University and later at Moscow State University, becoming fluent in Russian and well-versed in international relations. Despite surviving multiple political purges over the decades, he remained a trusted and loyal figure within the regime.

Analysts describe Kim Yong Nam as a “model bureaucrat” whose loyalty ensured his survival through North Korea’s turbulent political transitions. He was known to have read the elegy at the funeral of Kim Il Sung in 1994 and later proposed Kim Jong Il’s formal appointment as head of the National Defense Commission — both moments highlighting his steadfast devotion to the Kim family.

Kim Yong Nam’s passing marks the end of an era in North Korea’s political landscape, closing the chapter on one of its most consistent and disciplined figures in modern history.