Kang Yong Sop (, ; October 15, 1931 – January 21, 2012) was a

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...

n politician, second son of deputy prime minister Kang Ryang-uk and Song Sok-jong. He served as chair of the

Korean Christian Federation The Korean Christian Federation is a Protestant body in North Korea founded in 1946. The federation is based in the capital city Pyongyang. The current secretary general is O Kyong-u. The federation has come to play an important role in internat ...

(KCF) and vice-president of the . He was also vice-president of the North Korean branch of the Pan-Korean Alliance for Reunification (PKAR), delegate to

12th Supreme People's Assembly Parliamentary elections were held in North Korea on 8 March 2009 to elect the members of the 12th Supreme People's Assembly. They were originally scheduled to be held in August 2008 but were postponed for unknown reasons. Observers of North Kore ...

(SPA) and member of the

SPA Presidium The Supreme People's Assembly (SPA; ) is the unicameral legislature of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), commonly known as North Korea. It consists of one deputy from each of the DPRK's 687 constituencies, elected to five-year ...

, and director of the Pyongyang Theological Academy.

Career

In January 1969, Kang was appointed to deputy bureau manager in the Cabinet administrative bureau. He became ambassador to

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

in 1969, and to

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

in 1971. Kang served as chair of the central committee of the

(KCF) starting in February 1989, vice-president of the starting in May 1989, and chair of the KCF central committee in May 1990. He served as a member of the unification policy committee of the

Supreme People's Assembly The Supreme People's Assembly (SPA; ) is the unicameral legislature of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), commonly known as North Korea. It consists of one deputy from each of the DPRK's 687 constituencies, elected to five-year ...

(SPA) starting in May 1990, and as a member of the central committee of the North Korean branch of the Pan-Korean Alliance for Reunification (PKAR). In March 1991, he was appointed to the directorship of the Pyongyang Theological Academy. Starting in July 1991, he served as vice-president of the DPRK-Japan Friendship Association, and as a member of the central committee of the

Democratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland The Democratic Front for the Reunification of Korea, also known as the Democratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland (DFRF) or the Fatherland Front, is a North Korean popular front formed on 22 July 1946 and led by the Workers' Part ...

. He became vice-chair of the PKAR in August 1993, and served as deputy chair of the North Korean committee for implementation of the June 15th North–South Joint Declaration. He died in Pyongyang of a heart attack on January 21, 2012. After being elected to the

9th Supreme People's Assembly Parliamentary elections were held in North Korea on 22 April 1990. 687 deputies were elected to the ninth Supreme People's Assembly. Results Of the 687 deputies, workers accounted for 37 percent, farmers 10 percent, and women 20 percent. Deputie ...

in April 1990, Kang served in the 10th (1998), 11th (2003), and 12th (2009) sessions of the SPA as delegate and member of the

. He was a member of the national mourning committees for the deaths of Kim Il-sung in 1994,

Ri In-mo Ri In-mo (; 24 August 1917 - 16 June 2007) was an unconverted long-term prisoner who spent 40 years in prison and under the restriction of freedom in South Korea. History Described by the Korean Central News Agency as "well-known among the ...

in 2007, and Pak Song-chol in 2008.

Awards

Kang was awarded the Order of Kim Il-sung in March 2002, and the

National Reunification Prize The National Reunification Prize () is an award of North Korea, bestowed by the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly upon people who have contributed to the reunification of Korea. The award was instituted in 1990. Recipients * An Ji-sae ...

in September 2003.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kang, Yong-sop 1931 births 2012 deaths People from Pyongyang North Korean politicians North Korean Christians Ambassadors of North Korea to Romania Ambassadors of North Korea to Malta