Kim Yong-nam | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Kim in 2014 | |
| President of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly | |
| In office September 5, 1998 – April 11, 2019 | |
| Leader | |
| Preceded by | Yang Hyong-sop |
| Succeeded by | Choe Ryong-hae |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| In office December 1, 1983 – September 5, 1998 | |
| Premier | Hong Song-nam Kang Song-san Yon Hyong-muk Ri Kun-mo Kang Song-san Ri Jong-ok |
| Preceded by | Ho Dam |
| Succeeded by | Paek Nam-sun |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1928-02-04)February 4, 1928 |
| Died | November 3, 2025(2025-11-03) (aged 97) Pyongyang, North Korea |
| Party | Workers' Party of Korea |
| Alma mater | Tomsk State University Rostov State University[1][2] |
| Signature |  |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 김영남 |
| Hanja | 金永南[citation needed] |
| RR | Gim Yeongnam |
| MR | Kim Yŏngnam |
Kim Yong-nam (Korean: 김영남; February 4, 1928 – November 3, 2025) was a North Korean politician who served as thepresident of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of North Korea, from 1998 until 2019.[3] Due to holding the office, he was considered thehead of state of North Korea; thecountry's constitution was amended once he left office in 2019 to transfer this position to thePresident of the State Affairs Commission,Kim Jong Un. Previously, he had served asMinister of Foreign Affairs from 1983 to 1998.[4] He was elected a member of thePresidium of theWorkers' Party of Korea (WPK) in 2010.
Accounts of Kim's early life vary. According toFyodor Tertitskiy ofNK News, he was born Kim Myong-sam to aKorean-Chinese family in the village of Dapu Shihe inManchuria, in what is now theLiaoning province of China, on February 4, 1928.[5][6] Kim's official biography states that he was born inPyongyang,Korea, Empire of Japan (now North Korea).[6] According to North Korean state media, his familyresisted Japanese occupation.[7] His family came from theJeonju Kim clan, making him a very distant relative of theKim family.[8] He came to North Korea with theChinese People's Volunteer Army during theKorean War and chose to stay.[6] Shortly before the end of the war in 1953, he went to the USSR to study. His experience with theSoviet Union (including many years of study at Russian universities) and China propelled his career in foreign affairs.[6]
In 1956, he became a section chief at the Foreign Department of the Central Committee of theWorkers' Party of Korea and was a vice minister for foreign affairs by 1962.[6] In 1972, he became the chairman of the WPK Central Committee’s Foreign Department and a deputy to theSupreme People's Assembly. In June 1974, he became an alternate member of theWPK Politburo, becoming a full member by 1978, and a party secretary by 1980.[8] According to declassified Soviet documents from this period, Kim was "sociable and cheerful, but he is quick-tempered and can sometimes lack self-restraint".[8]
After graduating from university, he worked as a teacher at the Central Party School, vice-department director of theWPK Central Committee, vice-minister of foreign affairs, and first vice-department director, department director and secretary of the WPK Central Committee,vice premier of the administration council and concurrentlyMinister of Foreign Affairs.[9] His elevation to Minister of Foreign Affairs is believed to have occurred as part of a reorganization of the diplomatic bureaucracy after theRangoon bombing in October 1983.[10] In 1988, he was responsible for the arrangement of unofficial diplomatic contacts with theUnited States through their respective embassies inBeijing.[11]
On 5 September 1998, Kim was appointed as thePresident of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly. As president of the Presidium, Kim Yong-nam was sometimes called the "nominalhead of state" of North Korea.[10] The President of the Presidium is sometimes considered the "number two official".[12] The journalist and academicDon Oberdorfer described Kim as enigmatic, rigid in his official role, personally pleasant, highly intelligent, and an important figure behind the scenes in Pyongyang.[10] He was assessed as having high-level political and diplomatic skills.[6] According to South Korean politicianPak Jie-won, North Korean leaderKim Jong Il referred to Kim Yong-nam as the "Respected Chairman of the Presidium" (상임위원장님), a level of deference almost never extended to other subordinates.[8]
Kim visitedMongolia,Russia,[13]Algeria,Egypt,Ethiopia, andSingapore in 2007.[14] On March 18, 2008, he embarked on agoodwill tour of four African states.[15] Arriving inNamibia on March 20, he was present for the official completion of a new presidential residence that was built by North Korea.[16] He also held talks with Namibian PresidentHifikepunye Pohamba and signed an agreement on public health cooperation with Pohamba.[15][16] He subsequently visitedAngola, where he met PresidentJosé Eduardo dos Santos on March 24, theDemocratic Republic of the Congo, where he met PresidentJoseph Kabila on March 26, andUganda, where he met PresidentYoweri Museveni on March 29. He returned to North Korea on April 1.[15]
Kim also attended the2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony on August 8, 2008,[17]2014 Winter Olympics opening ceremony on February 7, 2014,[18]2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony on February 9, 2018,[19] and the2018 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony on June 14, 2018.[20] On July 14, 2009, Kim met Vietnamese presidentNguyen Minh Triet on the sidelines of the 15thNon-Aligned Movement Summit in Egypt.[21] Kim represented North Korea at the2015 Victory Day parade in Moscow on May 9, 2015, commemorating the 70th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.[22] He attended the May 19, 2016 presidential inauguration of Equatoguinean presidentTeodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.[23] As representative of North Korea, he attended the investiture ceremony ofAndrés Manuel López Obrador as president ofMexico on December 1, 2018.[24]
Kim retired on April 11, 2019, in a government reshuffle, aged 91, after almost 21 years as President of the SPA Presidium and almost 41 years asParty Politburo member (having first been elected to the body in August 1978).[6] During the 2022 celebration of theDay of the Foundation of the Republic, he participated in the central concert and banquet which took place in the yard of theMansudae Assembly Hall.[25] In 2024, he attended a ceremony marking the 30th anniversary of Kim Il Sung’s death.[8]
According toKorean Central News Agency, Kim had been receiving treatment forcolon cancer in his hospital bed since June 2024. He died frommultiple organ failures on November 3, 2025, at the age of 97.[26] KCNA also reported North Korean leaderKim Jong Un visited thebier of Kim Yong-nam to express deep condolences over his death.[27] He was buried at thePatriotic Martyrs' Cemetery in Pyongyang, following a state funeral on November 5.[28]
As President of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, Kim Yong Nam conducted numerous foreign visits to represent the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
| Date | Country | Location | Purpose of Visit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 2002 |  Indonesia | Jakarta | State visit | Met with President Megawati Sukarnoputri to strengthen bilateral ties. |
| April 2005 | Indonesia | Bandung | Asian-African Summit | Attended the 50th anniversary of the Bandung Conference. |
| July 2007 |  Mongolia | Ulaanbaatar | State visit | Part of a multi-nation tour including Russia and several African nations. |
| July 2007 |  Algeria | Algiers | State visit | Discussed economic cooperation. |
| July 2007 |  Egypt | Cairo | State visit | Met with Egyptian officials to maintain long-standing diplomatic relations. |
| August 2007 |  Singapore | Singapore | Official visit | Focused on economic development models. |
| March 2008 |  Namibia | Windhoek | Official visit | Attended the opening of the new Presidential Palace (built by North Korea). |
| March 2008 |  Angola | Luanda | Official visit | Met with President José Eduardo dos Santos. |
| March 2008 |  DR Congo | Kinshasa | Official visit | Met with President Joseph Kabila. |
| March 2008 |  Uganda | Kampala | Official visit | Met with President Yoweri Museveni. |
| August 2008 |  China | Beijing | 2008 Summer Olympics | Attended the opening ceremony. |
| July 2009 | Egypt | Sharm el-Sheikh | 15th NAM Summit | Represented North Korea at the Non-Aligned Movement summit. |
| May 2012 | Indonesia | Jakarta | State visit | Official visit to strengthen "traditional" friendship. |
| August 2012 |  Iran | Tehran | 16th NAM Summit | Signed a cooperation agreement on science and technology. |
| February 2014 |  Russia | Sochi | 2014 Winter Olympics | Attended the opening ceremony and met with Vladimir Putin. |
| May 2015 | Russia | Moscow | Victory Day Parade | Represented the DPRK at the 70th anniversary of WWII victory. |
| September 2016 |  Venezuela | Isla Margarita | 17th NAM Summit | Met with President Nicolás Maduro. |
| August 2017 | Iran | Tehran | Presidential Inauguration | Attended the second inauguration of Hassan Rouhani. |
| February 2018 |  South Korea | Pyeongchang | 2018 Winter Olympics | Led the high-level delegation; first nominal head of state to visit the South. |
| June 2018 | Russia | Moscow | 2018 FIFA World Cup | Attended the opening ceremony of the World Cup. |
| November 2018 |  Cuba | Havana | State visit | Met with President Miguel Díaz-Canel. |
| November 2018 | Venezuela | Caracas | State visit | Strengthened ties with the Maduro administration. |
| December 2018 |  Mexico | Mexico City | Presidential Inauguration | Attended the inauguration of Andrés Manuel López Obrador. |
He later sat down for talks with the No. 2 official, Kim Yong Nam, APTN said.
In July, the country's No. 2 leader, Kim Yong Nam, visited Mongolia, Russia, Algeria, Egypt, Singapore and Ethiopia.
Despite his advanced age of 80, Kim Yong-nam, the president of the Supreme People's Assembly of North Korea, visited Algeria, Ethiopia, Egypt and Singapore in July and August.
Media related toKim Yong-nam at Wikimedia Commons| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Minister of Foreign Affairs 1983–1998 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | President of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly 1998–2019 | Succeeded by |
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