Kim Yong Nam, the only person outside the Kim dynasty to serve as North Korea’s nominal head of state, died on Tuesday (4), state media reported.
Nam was 97 years old and was president of the country’s Supreme People’s Assembly and a longtime diplomat who served the country’s three leaders.
The visited Kim Yong Nam’s grave to express his condolences, KRT reported.
Born in 1928, Kim Yong Nam held important positions in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
He helped shape North Korea’s diplomacy under state founder Kim Il Sung before effectively taking over top diplomacy under Kim Jong Il.
Under Kim Jong Un, Kim Yong Nam continued to serve as the diplomatic face of North Korea, hosting high-level visitors in Pyongyang and visiting South Korea in 2018 as head of the North Korean delegation to the Winter Olympics.
A state funeral will be held, state news agency KCNA reported.
