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North Korea holds funeral for former ceremonial head of state, South sends condolences

Published: 05 Nov. 2025, 12:40 Updated: 06 Nov. 2025, 13:52

North Korea’s ruling party newspaper Rodong Sinmun reported on Nov. 4 that Kim Yong-nam, former chairman of the North's Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly, had died the previous day. [RODONG SINMUN]

Mourners gathered at the funeral hall for Kim Yong-nam, former chairman of the North's rubber-stamp Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly, who held key diplomatic posts across three generations of the Kim dynasty — Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong-il and Kim Jong-un.

According to the Korean Central News Agency on Wednesday, senior officials from the ruling party, government, military and central institutions visited the Sojang Funeral Hall in Pyongyang’s Potonggang District the previous day, where Kim’s body is laid in state.

A wreath bearing the name of State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un was placed at the altar. Kim visited the funeral hall at 1 a.m. Tuesday, along with senior officials, to pay his respects.

Wang Yajun, China’s ambassador to North Korea, and Le Ba Vinh, Vietnam’s ambassador to North Korea, also visited the funeral hall to offer condolences.

Kim died on Monday of multiple organ failure caused by cancer-related toxemia. North Korean media said he will be given a state funeral, with the funeral procession set for 9 a.m. Wednesday.

A career diplomat, Kim Yong-nam held senior posts in the Workers’ Party’s International Department and the Foreign Ministry. As chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly, he was also North Korea's ceremonial head of state. He remained active in summit diplomacy under Kim Jong-un’s rule, often receiving visiting heads of state. He retired from public office in 2019 at the age of 91, ending a career that spanned more than 60 years.

In 2018, Kim Yong-nam led North Korea’s high-level delegation to the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, accompanying Kim Jong-un’s sister Kim Yo-jong and meeting with then-President Moon Jae-in.

The South Korean government expressed condolences in a message from Unification Minister Chung Dong-young. In a statement delivered Tuesday by the ministry’s spokesperson, Chung said he extended his condolences upon hearing of Kim’s passing.

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 JEONG HYE-JEONG [[email protected]]