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Kim Yang-gon | |
|---|---|
김양건 | |
.jpg) Kim Yang-gon at Closing Ceremony ofIncheon Asian Games 2014 | |
| Born | (1942-04-24)24 April 1942 |
| Died | 29 December 2015(2015-12-29) (aged 73) |
Kim Yang-gon (Korean: 김양건, 24 April 1942 – 29 December 2015) was aNorth Korean politician and a senior official of the rulingWorkers' Party of Korea.
Kim Yang-gon started his political career as a vice-director of the party's International Liaison Department in 1986, and during this time he also oversaw relations withJapan as head of the DPRK-Japan Friendship Association. He was a recipient of the topOrder of Kim Il-sung in 1995. He was promoted to director in 1997 and visitedChina multiple times during his tenure. In 2005 he also received a position as "councilor" to theNational Defence Commission.
Several months after the death ofRim Tong-ok, Kim Yang-gon, considered a confidant toKim Jong-il, was appointed to replace him as director of the United Front Department of the Workers' Party in March 2007. His first assignment as head of relations withSouth Korea was a visit toSeoul in November to discussrapprochement measures with Unification MinisterLee Jae-jeong. At the Party Conference held in September 2010, Kim was also appointed secretary for united front and South Korea policies of theSecretariat and alternate member of thePolitburo.
Kim Yang-gon kept his position underKim Jong-un, and he was awarded the newly createdOrder of Kim Jong-il in July 2012. He visited South Korea again in October 2014 to attend the closing ceremony of the 2014 Asian Games withHwang Pyong-so andChoe Ryong-hae, and in late August 2015 to negotiate a deal to halt military provocations around theDemilitarized Zone.
In December 2015, North Korea's news agency reported that Kim Yang-gon died in a car accident.[1][2] He waslying in state in Sojang Club in Pyongyang and honored in astate funeral.
He was replaced in January 2016 byKim Yong-chol.[3]
Kim Yang-gon's funeral committee was composed of:[4]
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Director of the United Front Department of theWorkers' Party of Korea 2007–2015 | Succeeded by |
