Overview
- State media said Kim Yong Nam died on Nov. 3 at age 97 from multiple organ failure linked to cancer after treatment for colorectal cancer since June 2024.
- KCNA reported Kim Jong Un visited his bier, a 100-member funeral committee was formed, and he was buried at Pyongyang’s Patriotic Martyrs' Cemetery.
- Chinese and Vietnamese ambassadors offered condolences at the funeral facility, and South Korea’s unification minister issued a formal message of sympathy.
- Kim served as foreign minister from 1983 to 1998 and later became the public face of Pyongyang’s diplomacy, including leading the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic delegation that met then-President Moon Jae-in.
- He was not related to the ruling Kim family and held a ceremonial role before being succeeded by Choe Ryong Hae in 2019, a change that left the power structure unchanged.