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. -0-