Late North Korean statesman a 'perfect model of regime survival,' says high-profile defector
Published: 05 Nov. 2025, 17:12
![Kim Yong-nam, a former chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly who held key diplomatic posts under three generations of North Korean leadership, died on Nov. 3, Korean Central Television reported on Nov. 4. The broadcaster said a wreath was laid in the name of Kim Jong-un. [KOREAN CENTRAL TELEVISION]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/11/05/a70a428a-3303-4376-a0cd-69637a22623d.jpg)
Kim Yong-nam, a former chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly who held key diplomatic posts under three generations of North Korean leadership, died on Nov. 3, Korean Central Television reported on Nov. 4. The broadcaster said a wreath was laid in the name of Kim Jong-un. [KOREAN CENTRAL TELEVISION]
Former North Korean diplomat and ex-lawmaker Tae Yong-ho said on Wednesday that the late Kim Yong-nam, who served for decades as North Korea’s top diplomat and ceremonial head of state, epitomized how to survive in Pyongyang’s shifting political hierarchy.
Tae said he was classmates with Kim's youngest son when he was 12 years old at the Pyongyang Foreign Language School.
“I used to visit their home often and saw Kim Yong-nam regularly,” he said in an appearance on CBS Radio’s "Kim Hyun-jung’s News Show" on Wednesday. “Later, when I worked at the Foreign Ministry, he was my superior.”
Tae recalled that Kim’s youngest son even arranged his marriage.
“Having watched him up close since childhood, I can understand how he managed to remain North Korea’s second-most powerful figure across three generations,” he said.
Tae described the former chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly, who recently died at 97, as “a perfect model of regime survival” with unwavering loyalty to the Kim family, sharp political instincts and an ability to read power shifts “at least ten years ahead.”
![Tae Yong-ho, then-secretary general of The Peaceful Unification Advisory Council, delivers congratulatory remarks during the NK Insider Forum at Le Meridien Seoul Myeongdong in Jung District, central Seoul, on Dec. 19, 2024. [NEWS1]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/11/05/6cd2cb5e-79c1-49b2-8a18-d5d57a8715df.jpg)
Tae Yong-ho, then-secretary general of The Peaceful Unification Advisory Council, delivers congratulatory remarks during the NK Insider Forum at Le Meridien Seoul Myeongdong in Jung District, central Seoul, on Dec. 19, 2024. [NEWS1]
Tae cited an anecdote from the early 1970s that showed Kim’s political acumen. At the time, Kim ordered the removal of photos of Kim Il Sung’s second wife Kim Song-ae and replaced them with portraits of Kim Jong-il’s mother, Kim Jong-suk, according to Tae.
“Even before Kim Jong-il was officially named successor, Kim Yong-nam had already sensed where power was heading,” Tae said, adding that Kim Jong-il was said to have been moved to tears upon hearing of the gesture.
Tae said Kim Yong-nam’s political tact continued under Kim Jong-un.
“When Kim Jong-un once lashed out at senior officials during an event, Kim Yong-nam defused the tension with humor,” he said. “And when Kim Jong-un first appeared in public, Kim Yong-nam was the first among the hesitant elders to bow 90 degrees, which led others to follow.”
He also pointed to Kim Yong-nam's integrity as another reason for his longevity.
“Kim Yong-nam never accepted personnel requests or bribes,” Tae said. “If someone offered him money, he would hand it straight to the party committee. He didn’t drink alcohol and never brought back gifts or clothes from foreign trips.”
![The photo shows the late Kim Yong-nam, then-chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly of North Korea, and Kim Yo-jong, first vice department director of the Workers’ Party of Korea, on Nov. 19, 2022. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/11/05/dd0ff122-05cb-405b-a2a3-3a9c656bac7b.jpg)
The photo shows the late Kim Yong-nam, then-chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly of North Korea, and Kim Yo-jong, first vice department director of the Workers’ Party of Korea, on Nov. 19, 2022. [YONHAP]
Tae also said that Kim’s tearful appearance alongside Kim Yo-jong at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics — as the two watched the joint inter-Korean delegation enter the stadium — was a "carefully crafted image."
“That single photograph made the international community believe Kim Jong-un was open to dialogue,” he said. “Kim Yong-nam had that kind of quick judgment and political instinct.”
“Kim Yong-nam survived six decades at the center of power without ever abusing it,” Tae said. “In North Korea, his way of survival remains a manual for how to endure [within the regime].”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY BAE JAE-SUNG [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts.
Standards Board Policy (0/250자)