China expressed its deep condolences on the passing of Kim Yong Nam, former Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).
Kim, who had also served as the DPRK’s Foreign Minister for many years and was virtually synonymous with his country’s diplomacy, died on November 3, 2025 at the age of 97 from multiple organ failure after battling cancer.
Noting that Kim was an old friend of the Chinese people, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a daily news briefing on November 4, that during his lifetime, Kim had led delegations on many visits to China and made important contributions to promoting the development of the traditional friendly and cooperative relations between China and the DPRK.
An official obituary issued by the DPRK said that:
The life of Kim Yong Nam was a brilliant one in which he was highly honoured for his allegiance to the revolution with pure loyalty and high ability.
He, who left to study abroad in the early days of building a democratic state, returned home in July 1952, when the homeland experienced a fierce war, and devoted himself to training Party cadres at the then Central Party School. He worked at the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) from the mid-1950s to the first half of the 1960s, contributing to enhancing the external prestige of the Party and conducting dynamic work with the progressive forces supporting and encouraging our cause in the international arena.
After working as a Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs for four years, he successively held an important post in the field of international affairs of the Party from September 1967. In the period, he displayed strict principle and high practical ability in the important and difficult work of modeling the whole Party on the revolutionary idea of the leader, exposing and frustrating the moves of the counterrevolutionary forces that left a stain in the history of the world socialist movement and defending the revolutionary character and authority of our Party.
Since 1983, he had conducted dynamic political and diplomatic activities to defend the rights and interests of the dignified DPRK in the international arena for nearly 20 years as a Vice-Premier of the Administration Council and Foreign Minister.
In the days when he devoted all his wisdom and energy to thoroughly implementing the foreign policy of the state with independence, peace and friendship as its main idea, he made a great contribution to expanding the scope of the DPRK’s external relations and creating an environment favorable for socialist construction.
When our country and people were consolidating the foundations for building a powerful country under the uplifted banner of socialism in the face of severe trials, Kim Yong Nam assumed the post as the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly, faithfully supported the Party’s ideas and leadership and demonstrated his unique ability and experience in the international arena, thus recording remarkable merits in the history of the DPRK’s politics and diplomacy.
During his service as a member of the Presidium of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the WPK and a senior official of the DPRK supreme power organ, he remained faithful to his duty as a revolutionary veteran to ensure that the whole state affairs advanced along the correct track of development in the new era.
For nearly 80 years of his revolutionary activities, Kim Yong Nam had always served the Party, the country and the people with rich knowledge and high responsibility.
It announced that Kim Yong Nam would be accorded a state funeral and a 100-person state funeral committee was formed headed by Kim Jong Un, General Secretary of the WPK and President of the State Affairs of the DPRK.
Kim Yong Nam’s funeral was held on November 5.
Delivering the eulogy, Pak Thae Song, member of the Presidium of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the WPK and Premier of the DPRK Cabinet, said that:
Kim Yong Nam devoted his all to the country and the revolution as a prominent statesman and leading cadre of the Workers’ Party of Korea and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and received deep respect and love of all the people for his noble traits and personality and merits, adding that his whole life was a shining career of a true son boundlessly faithful to the country and the people.
Kim Yong Nam made a contribution to ensuring the successful external activities of our Party and the state regarding the strong independent stand and revolutionary principle as his life and arousing the support and encouragement of the progressive forces to the DPRK’s cause on a world-wide scale by steadily enhancing the ideological, mental and practical preparations capable of perfectly fulfilling his mission under any condition and circumstances.
The proud pages of the DPRK’s political and diplomatic history could be written along with the career of the revolutionary elders who defended the invincibility of the socialist cause and thoroughly embodied the foreign policy of our state with their transparent revolutionary faith, high political and theoretical level and seasoned diplomacy.
He added that Kim Jong Un had always respected him for having performed distinguished merits in the realisation of the country’s foreign strategy and the development of the people’s power.
Besides China, a number of other countries expressed their condolences on the death of Kim Yong Nam.
State President of Vietnam Luong Cuong sent a message of condolence to Kim Jong Un and the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that the Ambassadors of China and Vietnam had paid their respects to Kim Yong Nam when he was laying in state.
Reflecting the special historic bonds between the Korean and Nicaraguan revolutions, Daniel Ortega Saavedra and Rosario Murillo Zambrana, Co-presidents of the Republic of Nicaragua, wrote to Kim Jong Un as follows:
Dear Comrade,
We join you and your people in feeling grief at the demise of Comrade Kim Yong Nam, who left a heroic and historic legacy to your country and the revolutionaries all over the world as the head of the state.
We remain confident of the victory in the struggle through unity with great peoples like the people of your country. We affirm that we will always extend fraternal solidarity in whatever situation on our historic road.
Comrade President Kim Jong Un, we hope that you would convey our feelings of respect, love and solidarity to the bereaved family of Comrade Kim Yong Nam.
The following articles were originally published by the Xinhua News Agency and by KCNA.
China voices deep condolences over passing of former senior DPRK official Kim Yong Nam
BEIJING, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) — China expresses deep condolences over the passing of Kim Yong Nam, former chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday.
According to media reports, Kim Yong Nam died of illness at the age of 97 on Monday local time.
Noting that Kim was an old friend of the Chinese people, spokesperson Mao Ning told a daily news briefing that during his lifetime, Kim had led delegations on many visits to China and made important contributions to promoting the development of the traditional friendly and cooperative relations between China and the DPRK.
China expresses its profound condolences over his passing and extends sincere sympathies to his family, Mao added.
Kim Yong Nam Passes away
Pyongyang, November 4 (KCNA) — Kim Yong Nam, former chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly, passed away at the age of 97 at 12:00 on November 3, 2025, due to multiple organ failure caused by carcinomatous poisoning.
An obituary of his death was announced on Nov. 3 by the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the Standing Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly of the DPRK and the DPRK Cabinet.
The obituary said:
The life of Kim Yong Nam was a brilliant one in which he was highly honoured for his allegiance to the revolution with pure loyalty and high ability under the care of the Party and the leader.
Born into a family of the ruined nation and lived in distress under the colonial rule of foreign imperialism, Kim Yong Nam greeted the national liberation at the age of 17. After the liberation he devoted his efforts to social activities for the prosperity and honor of the country and the freedom and happiness of the people.
He, who left to study abroad in the early days of building a democratic state, returned home in July 1952, when the homeland experienced a fierce war, and devoted himself to training Party cadres at the then Central Party School. He worked at the Central Committee of the WPK from the mid-1950s to the first half of the 1960s, contributing to enhancing the external prestige of the Party and conducting dynamic work with the progressive forces supporting and encouraging our cause in the international arena.
After working as a vice-minister of Foreign Affairs for four years, he successively held an important post in the field of international affairs of the Party from September 1967. In the period, he displayed strict principle and high practical ability in the important and difficult work of modeling the whole Party on the revolutionary idea of the leader, exposing and frustrating the moves of the counterrevolutionary forces that left a stain in the history of the world socialist movement and defending the revolutionary character and authority of our Party.
Since 1983, he had conducted dynamic political and diplomatic activities to defend the rights and interests of the dignified DPRK in the international arena for nearly 20 years as a vice-premier of the Administration Council and foreign minister.
In the days when he devoted all his wisdom and energy to thoroughly implementing the foreign policy of the state with independence, peace and friendship as its main idea, he made a great contribution to expanding the scope of the DPRK’s external relations and creating environment favorable for socialist construction.
When our country and people were consolidating the foundations for building a powerful country under the uplifted banner of socialism in the face of severe trials, Kim Yong Nam assumed the post as the chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly, faithfully supported the Party’s ideas and leadership and demonstrated his unique ability and experience in the international arena, thus recording remarkable merits in the history of the DPRK’s politics and diplomacy.
During his service as a member of the Presidium of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the WPK and a senior official of the DPRK supreme power organ, he remained faithful to his duty as a revolutionary veteran to ensure that the whole state affairs advanced along the correct track of development in the new era.
For nearly 80 years of his revolutionary activities, Kim Yong Nam had always served the Party, the country and the people with rich knowledge and high responsibility and devoted himself to writing precious books to convey to posterity the proud history of the Republic which has been associated only with victory and glory in spite of his great age of over 90.
The merits he performed by devoting his life to the Party, the revolution and the people will shine with the future of the DPRK which will win victory after victory and he will be remembered by the great history of the country and the people as a veteran of the state, the obituary said.
Kim Yong Nam was awarded Order of Kim Il Sung and Order of Kim Jong Il, the highest orders of the DPRK, 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.
The Central Committee of the WPK, 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 a decision that the deceased Kim Yong Nam will be accorded a state funeral and the state funeral committee will be formed with the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un, Comrade Pak Thae Song, Comrade Choe Ryong Hae and other 97 persons as its members.
The state funeral committee said that the bier of Kim Yong Nam is placed at the Sojang Club of Pothonggang District in Pyongyang and that the callers for condolence will be received from 09:00 to 19:00 of Nov. 4 and the coffin of the deceased will be carried out of the club at 09:00 of Nov. 5.
Pak Thae Song Reads Elegy at Funeral Service for Late Kim Yong Nam
Pyongyang, November 6 (KCNA) — Pak Thae Song, member of the Presidium of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea and premier of the DPRK Cabinet, read an elegy at the ceremony of bidding farewell to the late Kim Yong Nam on Nov. 5.
Pak Thae Song said in the elegy that Kim Yong Nam was an excellent and ardent revolutionary and genuine patriot of the Korean people who left clear traces in defending the validity of the great revolutionary ideas and line and protecting the political and ideological might and interests of our state, while following the Party and keeping the life of glory with it for nearly 80 years.
Kim Yong Nam devoted his all to the country and the revolution as a prominent statesman and leading cadre of the Workers’ Party of Korea and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and received deep respect and love of all the people for his noble traits and personality and merits, Pak Thae Song said, adding that his whole life was a shining career of true son boundlessly faithful to the country and the people.
As Kim Yong Nam said, the significant days and months when he was directly taught by President Kim Il Sung and Chairman Kim Jong Il were the process of the turn of the destiny imbued with the new Juche idea and the unforgettable days in which he received mental nutrition to be kept more precious as time wears on, Pak Thae Song said, and went on:
Kim Yong Nam made a contribution to ensuring the successful external activities of our Party and the state regarding the strong independent stand and revolutionary principle as the life and arousing the support and encouragement of the progressive forces to the DPRK’s cause on a world-wide scale by steadily enhancing the ideological, mental and practical preparations capable of perfectly fulfilling his mission under any condition and circumstances.
The proud pages of the DPRK’s political and diplomatic history could be written along with the career of the revolutionary elders who defended the invincibility of the socialist cause and thoroughly embodied the foreign policy of our state with their transparent revolutionary faith, high political and theoretical level and seasoned diplomacy.
The respected Comrade Kim Jong Un always respected and put forward him, who performed distinguished merits in the realization of the country’s foreign strategy and the development of the people’s power, as the state’s veteran, awarded the title of the twice Labor Hero to him marking the 90th birthday, sent a warm greeting to him on the occasion of his 95th birthday and even left an unforgettable image by holding his hands who was difficult to move his body in July of last year. The warm love of Kim Jong Un served as precious tonics to make him glorify his history of political activities with the ever-strong faith.
In view of the years working at important positions of the Party and the state and exploits performed by him, his perfect life has no scruples even though he spent his remaining days in good rest. But he repeatedly said it is still far to repay the trust and love, and devoted his all to writing a work dealing with the great state political history and undying exploits of the great leaders.
Though he, who had grown up under the trust of the Party and the leader and enjoyed the happiness and glory of his life on the road of sincerely supporting the Party and the leader, passed away, the traces of his life recorded in the history will not be erased and the noble revolutionary spirit of his loyalty will be alive in the hearts of all of us.
Pak Thae Song said that we will remember the shining traces of life of Kim Yong Nam who devoted his all to the development of our Republic and the steady advance of the Juche cause and bring earlier the bright future of the national rejuvenation true to the ideas and leadership of Kim Jong Un, as desired by him.
