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]

Biography

Kim 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

• 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

• Photo of grave