Kim Yong-nam

Not to be confused with Kim Jong-nam, the eldest son of Kim Jong-il.

This is a Korean name; the family name is Kim.

Kim Yong-nam
Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of North Korea
Incumbent
Assumed office 5 September 1998
Premier	Hong Song-nam Pak Pong-ju Kim Yong-il Choe Yong-rim
Leader	Kim Jong-il Kim Jong-un
Preceded by	Yang Hyong-sop
Personal details
Born	4 February 1928 (1928-02-04) Heijo, Japanese Korea (now Pyongyang, North Korea)
Political party	Workers' Party of Korea

Korean name
Chosŏn'gŭl	김영남
Hancha	金永南
McCune–Reischauer	Kim Yŏngnam
Revised Romanization	Gim Yeong-nam

Kim Yong-nam (born 4 February 1928) is the North Korean Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, a position held since 1998. He was elected a member of the presidium of the politburo of the central committee of the Workers' Party of Korea in 2010.

He was born in the Central District, Heijo (now called Pyongyang), on February 4, 1928. After graduating from a university, he worked as a teacher at the central party School, vice-department director of the WPK Central Committee, vice-minister of foreign affairs, and first vice-department director, department director and secretary of the WPK Central Committee, vice-premier of the administration council and concurrently minister of Foreign Affairs.

As chairman of the Presidium, he is considered the de facto head of state of North Korea. Although he is not de jure head of state of North Korea (as no such office exists), he accepts the credentials of ambassadors, conducts foreign relations and signs treaties. He has held this office since 5 September 1998, and he previously served as foreign minister from 1983 to 1998. Kim represents North Korea on all state visits and receives visiting heads of state. In theory, he, Premier Choe Yong-rim, and National Defense Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un form a tripartite executive, each having powers equal to a third of a president's in Presidential systems, controlling foreign relations, government and domestic affairs, and defense, respectively. In practice, Kim Jong-un, like his father, Kim Jong-il, before him, exercises absolute control over the country, and the Chairman of the Presidium is considered a junior position.

Diplomatic activity

Kim embarked on a two-week tour of Mongolia, Algeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Singapore on 20 July 2007. On 18 March 2008, he embarked on a goodwill tour of four African nations. Arriving in Namibia on 20 March, he was present for the inauguration of a new presidential residence that was built by North Korea. He also held talks with Namibian President Hifikepunye Pohamba and signed an agreement on public health cooperation with Pohamba. He subsequently visited Angola, where he met with President Jose Eduardo Dos Santos on 24 March the Democratic Republic of Congo, where he met with President Joseph Kabila on 26 March and Uganda, where he met with President Yoweri Museveni on 29 March. He returned to North Korea on 1 April.

Kim also attended the Beijing Olympics on 8 August 2008. On 14 July 2009 Kim Yong-nam met with Vietnamese president Nguyen Minh Triet on the sidelines of the 15th Non-Aligned Movement Summit in Egypt.

See also

• Politics of North Korea
• Government of North Korea

References

Political offices
Preceded by Ho Dam	Minister of Foreign Affairs 1983–1998	Succeeded by Paek Nam-sun
Preceded by Yang Hyong-sop	Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of North Korea 1998–present	Incumbent