Kim Jong-un Mourns, Head of North Korean Propaganda Who Served Three Generations of Leaders Dies at Age of 94

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un while mourning Kim Ki Nam's body. (Source: KCNA)

JAKARTA - North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was in mourning, as the country's propaganda chief who had served three generations of leadership breathed his last.

Kim Ki Nam, one of North Korea's longest-serving officials, over three generations of leadership, to strengthen their political legitimacy, heads the state propaganda apparatus.

Quoting KCNA May 8, Kim, former secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) died at the age of 94 while undergoing treatment at the hospital on May 7 at 10 am local time, due to old age and multiple organ dysfunction since April 2022.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un mourned Kim's body at 2 a.m. on Wednesday, paying tribute "with deep sorrow for the loss of a revolutionary veteran who remained boundlessly loyal," he said.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un mourns the body of Kim Ki Nam. (Source: KCNA)

Leader Kim was accompanied by members of the Presidium of the Political Bureau and the secretary of the WPK Central Committee. A wreath in the name of Leader Kim was placed in front of the deceased's body. He also expressed deep sympathy to the bereaved families and consoled them.

A veteran of the WPK and revolution and a political activist who devoted his entire life to the country, Kim was born into a labor family in the 1920s.

He worked in the WPK Central Committee since May 1956 thanks to the great political trust of the party leadership. This belief also enabled him to serve himself from the era of Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-il, to Kim Jong-un.

Kim Ki Nam. (Source: KCNA)

Quoting Reuters, Kim is one of the few North Korean officials to have visited South Korea, leading a delegation that attended President Kim Dae-jung's funeral in 2009, opening an era of reconciliation with Pyongyang through its "Sunshine Policy".

He was at the forefront of North Korea's propaganda machine, becoming deputy chief in 1966 and then propaganda chief in 1985 during the reign of state founder Kim Il Sung, according to South Korean government data. He retired in 2017.

Kim Ki Nam was awarded the Order of Kim Il Sung and the Order of Kim Jong Il, the country's highest honors. There are also watches bearing the great names of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il as well as high-level party and state awards, including the title Hero of Labor, for his achievements for the Party, the revolution, the country and the people.

Meanwhile, North Korea expert at the Stimson Center Michael Madden said Kim exerted extraordinary influence on policy and personnel and was a key architect of the political foundation of the ruling Workers' Party.

He was very close to Kim Jong-il, the current leader's father who died in 2011, and is believed to have been his "drinking buddy", Madden said, citing sources.

The plan is for North Korea to hold a state funeral for the late Kim. The Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, the State Affairs Commission, the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly, and the Cabinet of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea announced that the Kim Ki Nam State Funeral Commission has been established. It is led by Kim Jong-un and has a total of 100 members.

The state funeral committee said Kim Ki-nam's body was placed at the Sojang Club of Pothonggang District in Pyongyang and mourners would be received from 09:00 a.m. to 20:00 p.m. on May 8. The casket will be taken to the funeral home at 9 a.m. on May 9.