Kim Ki Nam: The Man Behind North Korea’s Three-Generation Propaganda

On May 8, North Korean state media reported that Kim Ki Nam, who had led the regime’s propaganda across three generations of Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il, and Kim Jong Un, had passed away at the age of 94. Known as the Goebbels of North Korea, Kim was a former secretary in charge of propaganda and agitation for the Workers’ Party.

It’s been reported that Kim Jong Un, the North Korean leader, will personally preside over the national funeral for Kim Ki Nam, sparking interest in Kim’s identity.

The state-run Korean Central News Agency reported, “Comrade Kim Ki Nam, who had been receiving treatment for multiple organ failure due to old age since April 2022, sadly passed away at 10 a.m. on May 7, 2024, at the age of 94.”

The body will lie in state at the Sojang Hall in the Botong River District of Pyongyang, with the viewing scheduled from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on May 8 and the funeral set for 9 a.m. on May 9.

Kim, who presides over the state funeral for Kim Ki Nam, visited the mortuary at 2 a.m. on May 8.

Born in February 1929, Kim Ki Nam, whose state funeral is being personally overseen by Kim Jong Un, was known as a critical figure in the idolization of North Korea’s supreme leaders.

The description of history centered on the idolization of the supreme leader in North Korea. He held all key positions, was closely linked to the maintenance of the state and regime, and earned the trust of Kim Jong Un.

From 1970, he was the chief editor of the Workers’ Party’s central committee’s newspapers, Kulloja and Rodong Sinmun. From 1985, he held the positions of the party’s central committee’s propaganda chief, secretary, and director of the history research institute.

Since 2010, he has been the deputy of the party’s central committee, propaganda and agitation chief, and advisor.

The fact that he had also appeared in South Korea has drawn further attention to Kim Ki Nam.

He was confirmed to have visited the National Cemetery as a representative of the North Korean authorities with 31 delegation members when he visited Seoul in 2005 for the 8.15 National Celebration as one of the closest aides to Kim Jong Il.

Also, in August 2009, he was one of the key figures who visited the South as the head of the North Korean delegation, expressing condolences for the death of former President Kim Dae Jung.

With the death of Kim Ki Nam, his birthplace was officially confirmed for the first time. Although the South Korean government’s official North Korean information database, North Korean Key Figures Information, had listed Kim Ki Nam’s birthplace as Kumya County, South Hamgyong Province, it is expected to be revised according to the official announcement from North Korea.

Kim Ki Nam’s standing within North Korea is presumed to be significant. This is because Advisor Kim Ki Nam, called the political mentor of Kim Jong Un, was one of the two people who survived politically without being punished among the seven who escorted the hearse of Kim Jong Il in 2013.

It is speculated that Kim Ki Nam, who played a significant role in shaping North Korea’s three-generation succession, supposedly influenced the Kim family’s succession.

Kim Ki Nam, who established the framework for the Kim family’s succession, maintained his position even after Kim Jong Un took power but was excluded from the presidium at the second plenary meeting of the 7th Central Committee of the Workers’ Party in October 2017.

Meanwhile, Kim Ki Nam played a crucial role in consolidating the North Korean regime around Kim Jong Un, showing external activities and even being subject to international sanctions.

After being included in the U.S. sanctions against North Korea for human rights in 2016, he was also selected as a target for South Korea’s independent sanctions against North Korea.