North Korea holds state funeral for longtime ceremonial head of state
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has held a state funeral for the country’s longtime ceremonial head of state. Kim Yong Nam, He passed away this week at the age of 97.
Kim Jong Un and other senior officials from the 100-member funeral committee joined family members during the burial of Kim Yong Nam, who is not related to the ruling Kim family, at the Patriotic Martyrs Cemetery in Pyongyang on Wednesday, North Korea’s official Central News Agency said on Thursday.
State media footage showed grieving citizens bowing in the streets as a car carrying Kim Yong Nam’s flag-draped coffin and a large portrait drove towards the cemetery, where Kim Jong Un and other senior officials waited at the entrance.
North Korean Prime Minister Pak Thae Song gave a eulogy and Kim Yong Un, along with hundreds of other mourners dressed in black suits or military uniforms, paid a silent tribute before Kim Yong Nam’s remains were buried, according to KCNA’s report and photos.
“All participants prayed for the immortality of the pure spirit and revolutionary spirit of Kim Yong Nam, who made distinguished contributions to the party and the state,” KCNA said.
Kim Yong Nam served as speaker of the country’s parliamentary parliament from 1998 to April 2019; This post made him the nominal head of state of North Korea, but real power has always belonged to Kim Jong Un’s family, which has ruled the country as a dynasty since 1948.
Kim Yong Nam’s prominent government role made him a central figure at key moments of diplomacy. In February 2018, he traveled to South Korea with Kim Jong Un’s sister. Kim Yo Jong, North Korea has moved to attend the opening of the Winter Olympics while making a diplomatic effort with Seoul and Washington to use its nuclear weapons for economic gains. Those efforts were derailed in 2019 after a summit between Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump collapsed due to disagreements over US-led international sanctions.
He replaced Kim Yong Nam Choe Ryong Hae State media said he had been treated for colon cancer since June last year and died on Monday after suffering multiple organ failure.
