About Kim Ki Nam
Lived 1929 – 2024 (aged 94). Kim Ki Nam was a North Korean politician and propagandist.
Kim Ki-nam (; 28 August 1929 – 7 May 2024) was a North Korean official. He served as Vice Chairman (previously Secretary) of the Workers' Party of Korea, and Director of the Propaganda and Agitation Department from 1989 until 2017, 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, 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.
Biography Kim Ki-nam was born in Anda, Heilongjiang, China on 28 August 1929.
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 where he became deputy director in 1966. 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. 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
He was also 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 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 due to his retirement.
Kim was hospitalized with multiple organ failure in April 2022, and died on 7 May 2024 at the age of 94.
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Important facts
People in Kim Ki Nam's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
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Frequently asked questions
Who was Kim Ki Nam?
North Korean official (1929–2024)
When was Kim Ki Nam born?
Kim Ki Nam was born on 28 August 1929 in Kumya County.
When did Kim Ki Nam die?
Kim Ki Nam died on 7 May 2024 in Pyongyang.
What was Kim Ki Nam's occupation?
Kim Ki Nam was a politician and propagandist.
What nationality was Kim Ki Nam?
Kim Ki Nam was North Korean.
Sources & further reading
· DBpedia: Kim Ki-nam (politician)
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Kim Ki Nam. https://biography.guide/kim-ki-nam/
MLA: "Kim Ki Nam." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/kim-ki-nam/.
Chicago: "Kim Ki Nam." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/kim-ki-nam/.
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