Kim Ki-nam (Korean: 김기남; 28 August 1929 – 7 May 2024) was a North Korean official. He served as Vice Chairman (previously Secretary) of the Workers' Party of Korea,[5] and Director of the Propaganda and Agitation Department from 1989 until 2017,[6] responsible for coordinating the country's press, media, fine arts, and publishing to support government policy. He was also a vice-chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland,[7] in which capacity he led numerous visits to the South, and served several terms in the Supreme People's Assembly, to which he was first elected in November 1977.[8]
Kim Ki-nam | |
|---|---|
김기남 | |
| Director of the Propaganda and Agitation Department of the Workers' Party of Korea | |
| In office April 1989 – 9 October 2017 | |
| Deputy | Ri Jae-il Kim Yo-jong |
| Leader | Kim Il Sung Kim Jong Il Kim Jong Un |
| Preceded by | ? |
| Succeeded by | Pak Kwang-ho |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 28 August 1929 Kumya County, Kankyōnan-dō, Chōsen, Empire of Japan |
| Died | 7 May 2024 (aged 94) Ponghwa Clinic, Pyongyang |
| Resting place | Patriotic Martyrs' Cemetery |
| Political party | Workers' Party of Korea |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 김기남 |
| Hanja | |
| Revised Romanization | Kim Gi-nam |
| McCune–Reischauer | Kim Ki-nam |
Biography
editKim Ki-nam was born in Anda, Heilongjiang, China on 28 August 1929.[citation needed]
A graduate from the Kim Il-sung University and Soviet party schools, at first he worked in foreign affairs (being North Korea's ambassador to Beijing in the early 1950s[citation needed]) before moving to the Propaganda and Agitation Department where he became deputy director in 1966.[9] In 1974, he was appointed editor of the Party's theoretical magazine, Kulloja, and in 1976 he was promoted to editor-in-chief of Rodong Sinmun. He is credited with having produced articles and essays creating the cult of Kim Jong-il and praising Kim Il-sung's historic role.[10] He was elected to the 6th Central Committee at the 6th Party Congress in October 1980, director of the Propaganda and Agitation Department in April 1985[11] and simultaneously secretary for propaganda and party history in 1992.[citation needed]
Kim Ki-nam was the party's propaganda boss and key author of the country's political slogans during Kim Jong-il's regime.[11] He was given a role in ensuring Kim Jong-un's succession drive[10] and appointed to the 6th Politburo in September 2010.[citation needed]
He was one of the very few North Korean officials to have visited South Korea, leading a funeral delegation in 2009 after the death of president Kim Dae-jung.[11]
He was also one of the only two civilian officials who accompanied Kim Jong-il's coffin during his funeral in December 2011,[citation needed] the other being Choe Thae-bok.[citation needed]
He was given a seat in the State Affairs Commission in June 2016 when it was established.[citation needed] He was replaced in October 2017 by Pak Kwang-ho in all his functions at a Central Committee plenum due to his retirement.[11]
In 2016, he was placed under sanctions by the United States government.[12]
Kim was hospitalized with multiple organ failure in April 2022, and died on 7 May 2024 at the age of 94.[9][13][14]
Works
edit- Kim Ki-nam (February 1989). "Fundamental Changes Brought About in Party Ideological Work Under the Banner of Converting the Whole Society to the Chuche Ideology" (PDF). Kulloja (2). OCLC 9516938.[permanent dead link]
Links
editSee also
edit
References
edit- ^ "북한을 움직이는 사람들/ (상)노동당". Retrieved 10 May 2024.
- ^ "북한 조선노동당 부위원장 김기남 사망". Retrieved 10 May 2024.
- ^ "북한 김기남비서 건강이상설". Retrieved 10 May 2024.
- ^ "김정일 쾌유 메시지 DJ에 전달". Retrieved 10 May 2024.
- ^ "N.Koreans rally against UN". Straits Times. 16 June 2009. Archived from the original on 21 November 2010.
- ^ "Seating positions at N. Korea's national event show power shifts". Yonhap News Agency.
- ^ "Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland (CPRF) – North Korea Leadership Watch".
- ^ Summary of world broadcasts. Monitoring Service, British Broadcasting Corporation. 1999. Item notes: nos. 5478–5508.
- ^ a b Ng, Kelly (8 May 2024). "Kim family's master propagandist dies at 94". BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
- ^ a b "Kim Ki Nam". 5 October 2010.
- ^ a b c d "Kim Ki-nam, North Korean propaganda chief who shaped dynasty's personality cult, dies aged 94". The Guardian. 8 May 2024.
- ^ Davis, Julie Hirschfeld (6 July 2016). "Obama Places Sanctions on Kim Jong-un and Other Top North Koreans for Rights Abuses" – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ "'3대 세습 우상화' 김기남 前비서 사망…김정은이 국가장의위원장(종합)" (in Korean). YNA. 8 May 2024. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
- ^ "'김일성 일가 우상화' 김기남 비서, 94세로 사망" (in Korean). Khan. 8 May 2024. Retrieved 8 May 2024.