Kim Ki Nam Funeral Committee
KWP Secretary Kim Ki-nam (1st from left) greets former PRC Ambassador to the DPRK Liu Hongcai (right), along with late WPK United Front Department Director Kim Yang-gon and WPK International Department official Kim Song Nam.
Kim Ki Nam, former DPRK propaganda and culture chieftain, passed away due to old age and chronic health (“decrepitude and multiple organ dysfunction,” according to KCNA) at the age of 94 in Pyongyang on 7 May (Tuesday). KKN was a mentor to Kim Yo Jong and had a patronage network within DPRK media and culture that affected the careers of dozens of DPRK writers and media figures. He was also a close social cohort (a/k/a drinking buddy) to late DPRK leader Kim Jong Il (KJI; Kim Cho’ng-il). Kim Ki Nam was the country’s “slogan master” and the proverbial “iron hand in the velvet glove.” For six decades, Kim was an academic, but more importantly the most influential elite on DPRK press, rhetoric, media reporting, ideology and essay writing in the last four decades; this ran the gamut from suppressing media reports during the 1970s about former DPRK first lady Kim Song Ae to ghostwriting essays by North Korean leaders.
Kim effectively retired in 2017 during the second plenary meeting of the 7th Workers’ Party of Korea [WPK] Central Committee in 2017. However, he discharged a number of public functions on behalf of the man who replaced him, Pak Kwang Ho, when Pak experienced health problems. Until 2022 he continued to attend public events, but faded from public view due to advanced age.
Kim Jong Un (KJU; Kim Cho’ng-u’n) visited the funeral parlor organized for KKN at 2:00 AM KST on 8 May (Wednesday) and among those in attendance were: Kim Tok Hun (DPRK Premier), Jo Yong Won (WPK Secretary for Organizational Affairs), Choe Ryong Hae (Supreme People’s Assembly Standing Committee Chairman), MAR Ri Pyong Chol (senior WPK Secretary), Jon Hyon Chol (WPK Secretary for Economic Affairs), Ri Il Hwan (WPK Secretary for Propaganda and Workers’ Organizations), Kim Jae Ryong (WPK Secretary for Cadres’ Affairs), Jo Chun Ryong (WPK Secretary for Defense Industry) and Pak Thae Song (WPK Secretary for Science and Education).
Kim Jong Un and senior DPRK officials visit the funeral parlor for Kim Ki Nam during the early morning of 8 May 2024 in Pyongyang (Photo: KCNA/Yonhap).
You can read more about Kim Ki Nam here in a biosketch last updated in 2018.
A state funeral committee was formed and its members are:
Chairman
Kim Jong Un
Members
Kim Tok Hun
Jo Yong Won
Ri Pyong Chol
Ri Il Hwan
Pak Jong Chon
Kim Jae Ryong
Jo Chun Ryong
Jon Hyon Chol
Pak Thae Song
O Su Yong
Kang Sun Nam
Jong Kyong Thaek
Pak Jong Gun
Choe Son Hui
Ri Yong Gil
Ju Chang Il
Kim Chol Sam
Kim Hyong Sik
Han Kwang Sang
Ju Chol Gyu
Kim Song Nam
Kim Yong Chol
Yang Sung Ho
Ri Chol Man
Ri Chang Dae
Ri Thae Sop
Kim Su Gil
Kang Sun Sok
Kim Myong Hun
Pak Hun
Jong Song Guk
Kim Ho Chol
Ri Tu Song
Choe Tong Myong
O Il Jong
Ri Son Gwon
Kim Pong Chol
Kim Yong Su
Pak Jong Nam
Ri Hye Jong
Pang Tu Sop
Choe Chol Ung
Hong Sung Mu
Kim Jong Suk
Sin Ryong Man
Kim Yo Jong
Pak Song Chol
Ri Kyong Chol
Pak Chang Ho
Pak Thae Dok
Kang Pong Hun
Paek Song Guk
Kim Yong Hwan
Ri Jong Nam
Ri Thae Il
Ri Jae Nam
Sin Yong Chol
Kim Yong Gyu
Pak Hui Chol
Jo Kyong Chol
Jong Myong Do
Sin Ki Chol
Pak Yong Il
Kwon Thae Yong
Jang Il Gun
Kim Jong Nam
Ri Kyong Il
Kim Kum Chol
Kim Yu Il
Jon Hak Chol
An Kum Chol
Kim Chol Ha
Kang Jong Gwan
Ri Sang Do
Kim Chung Song
Han Ryong Guk
An Kyong Gun
Ju Yong Il
So Jong Jin
Ri Son Chol
Kim Chang Sok
Jo Yong Chol
Song Chun Sop
Jin Kum Song
Yun Jong Ho
Ri Chung Gil
Kim Sung Jin
Kim Kyong Jun
Rim Kyong Jae
Kim Kwang Jin
Kwak Jong Jun
Kim Sung Du
Jong Mu Rim
Sung Jong Gyu
Kim Il guk
Paek Min Gwang
Ri Chol San
KCNA published a death announcement about Kim Ki Nam which read
Kim Ki Nam, former secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, died at the age of 94 at 10:00 of May 7, Juche 113 (2024) while being treated in sickbed for decrepitude and multiple organ dysfunction since April 2022.
An obituary of his death was announced on May 7 in the joint name of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, the State Affairs Commission of the DPRK, the Standing Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly of the DPRK and the Cabinet of the DPRK.
The obituary said that Kim Ki Nam was a veteran of the WPK and the revolution and a prominent political activist who devoted his all to the sacred struggle for defending and strengthening the ideological purity of our revolution and firmly guaranteeing the steady victory of the socialist cause politically.
Born into a stevedore’s family in the late 1920s, he spent his childhood in hardships. After Korea’s liberation he was trained into a reserve backbone of a new Korea under the deep trust of President Kim Il Sung and was engrossed in study abroad from the period of democratic construction to the days of the war.
When the fierce war was in full swing to defend the country from the invasion by the imperialist allied forces, he was engaged in educational work at Kim Il Sung University. He devoted himself to training competent talents who would contribute to the sacred cause of building a powerful socialist country on the debris of war as desired by the President.
He worked at the Central Committee of the WPK from May 1956 thanks to the great political trust of the President. For over 60 years he devoted his all to consolidating the ideological and theoretical foundation of the Party and victoriously advancing the Chuch’e revolution.
In the 1960s when the work of establishing the monolithic ideological system in the whole Party and defending the Party Central Committee politically and ideologically from the moves of all counter-revolutionary trends that emerged in the international communist movement became an urgent requirement, he made a great contribution to the Party’s cause with high degree of political insight, theoretical level and mature writing.
In the 1970s, he made positive contributions to the Party’s ideological building and strengthening of its leadership ability while working as a leading official in charge of editing and publishing the political and theoretical magazine Kulloja and the newspaper Rodong Sinmun, organs of the WPK Central Committee.
He displayed his transparent outlook on the leader, party principle and high political and theoretical qualifications while consecutively holding an important post of the information and publicity field of the Party in the period of succession to the leadership of the WPK. He also performed distinguished feats in demonstrating in every way the prestige and militant might of the WPK, remaining loyal to the ideas and leadership of Chairman Kim Jong Il in the van.
He played a distinguished role in thoroughly establishing the monolithic leadership system of the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un and steadily enhancing the political and ideological might of Korean-style socialism at a crucial period of historic turn in carrying forward the revolutionary cause of Chuch’e.
He devoted himself to backing the victorious journey of building a powerful socialist country by maintaining the powerful offensive and fresh development in the new era in all spheres of the Party’s ideological work always with sincere attitude and high sense of responsibility before the revolution and people.
Kim Ki Nam was awarded Order of Kim Il Sung and Order of Kim Jong Il , the highest order of the DPRK, watches bearing the august names of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il and high-ranking party and state commendations, including the title of Labor Hero, for his feats for the Party, the revolution, the country and the people.
Though he passed away, his feats for the Party, the revolution, the country and the people will always go down in the whole historic course of accomplishing the great cause of Kimilsungism-Kimjongilism, the obituary said.
That day the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, the State Affairs Commission of the DPRK, the Standing Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly of the DPRK and the Cabinet of the DPRK announced that the deceased Kim Ki Nam will be accorded a state funeral and formed the state funeral committee with the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un as its chairman and Kim Tok Hun and other 99 persons as its members.
The state funeral committee said that the bier of Kim Ki Nam is placed at the Sojang Club of Pot’onggang District in Pyongyang and that the mourners to the deceased will be received from 09:00 to 20:00 of May 8 and the coffin of the deceased will be carried out at 09:00 of May 9.
