Kim Ki-nam (politician)

Kim Ki-nam (Korean: 김기남; born August 28, 1934) is a North Korean official. He is a former Vice Chairman (previously Secretary) of the Workers' Party of Korea,[1] and Director of the Propaganda and Agitation Department from 1989 until 2017,[2] 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,[3] in which capacity he led numerous visits to the South, and has served several terms in the Supreme People's Assembly, to which he was first elected in November 1977.[4]

In this Korean name, the family name is Kim.
Kim Ki-nam
김기남
Director of the Propaganda and Agitation Department of the Workers' Party of Korea
In office
April 1989 – 9 October 2017
DeputyKim Yo-jong
LeaderKim Il-sung
Kim Jong-il
Kim Jong-un
Preceded byOffice established
Succeeded byPak Kwang-ho
Personal details
Born (1934-08-28) August 28, 1934
Kim Ki-nam
Chosŏn'gŭl
김기남
Hancha
金起南
Revised RomanizationKim Gi-nam
McCune–ReischauerKim Ki-nam

Early life and career

Kim Ki-nam was born in Anda, Heilongjiang, China

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) before moving to the Propaganda and Agitation Department in the late 1960s. 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.[5] He was elected to the WPK Central Committee at the 6th Party Congress in October 1980, director of the Propaganda and Agitation Department in April 1989 and simultaneously secretary for propaganda and party history in 1992.

Kim Ki-nam was the party's propaganda boss and key author of the country's political slogans during Kim Jong-il's regime. He was given a role in ensuring Kim Jong-un's succession drive[5] and appointed to the Politburo in September 2010. He was one of the only two civilian officials who accompanied Kim Jong-il's coffin during his funeral in December 2011, the other being Choe Thae-bok. He was also given a seat in the State Affairs Commission in June 2016 when it was established. He was replaced in October 2017 by Pak Kwang-ho in all his functions at a Central Committee plenum.

In 2016, he was placed under sanctions by the United States government.[6]

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. OCLC 9516938.

See also

References
  1. "N.Koreans rally against UN". Straits Times. June 16, 2009. Archived from the original on November 21, 2010.
  2. "Seating positions at N. Korea's national event show power shifts". Yonhap.
  3. "Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland (CPRF) - North Korea Leadership Watch".
  4. Summary of world broadcasts. Monitoring Service, British Broadcasting Corporation. 1999. Item notes: nos. 5478-5508.
  5. "Kim Ki Nam". October 5, 2010.
  6. Davis, Julie Hirschfeld (July 6, 2016). "Obama Places Sanctions on Kim Jong-un and Other Top North Koreans for Rights Abuses" – via NYTimes.com.


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