| 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 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.[1]
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 has the role of accepting the credentials of ambassadors, conducting foreign relations and signing treaties. He has held this office since 5 September 1998, and he previously served as foreign minister from 1983 to 1998.[2] Kim represents North Korea on all state visits and receives visiting heads of state; in theory he, Premier Choe Yong-rim, and the Chairman of the National Defense Commission formed a tripartite executive, each having powers equal to a third of a president's in Presidential systems, controlling foreign relations, government, and defense, respectively. In practice, Kim Jong-il was the effective ruler of the country until his death in 2011, and the Chairman of the Presidium is considered a junior position.[3]
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.[4] Arriving in Namibia on 20 March, he was present for the inauguration of a new presidential residence that was built by North Korea.[5] He also held talks with Namibian President Hifikepunye Pohamba and signed an agreement on public health cooperation with Pohamba.[4][5] 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.[4]
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.[6]
| 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 |
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