Kim Ki-nam (Korean: 김기남; 28 August 1929 – 7 May 2024) was a North Korean official. He served as Vice Chairman (previously Secretary) of the Workers' Party of Korea,[5] and Director of the Propaganda and Agitation Department from 1989 until 2017,[6] 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,[7] 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.[8]
Kim Ki-nam was born in Anda, Heilongjiang, China on 28 August 1929.[citation needed]
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[citation needed]) before moving to the Propaganda and Agitation Department where he became deputy director in 1966.[9] 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.[10] 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[11] and simultaneously secretary for propaganda and party history in 1992.[citation needed]
Kim Ki-nam was the party's propaganda boss and key author of the country's political slogans during Kim Jong-il's regime.[11] He was given a role in ensuring Kim Jong-un's succession drive[10] and appointed to the 6th Politburo in September 2010.[citation needed]
He was one of the very few North Korean officials to have visited South Korea, leading a funeral delegation in 2009 after the death of president Kim Dae-jung.[11]
He was also one of the only two civilian officials who accompanied Kim Jong-il's coffin during his funeral in December 2011,[citation needed] the other being Choe Thae-bok.[citation needed]
He was given a seat in the State Affairs Commission in June 2016 when it was established.[citation needed] He was replaced in October 2017 by Pak Kwang-ho in all his functions at a Central Committee plenum due to his retirement.[11]
In 2016, he was placed under sanctions by the United States government.[12]
Kim was hospitalized with multiple organ failure in April 2022, and died on 7 May 2024 at the age of 94.[9][13][14]