Kim Yang-gon (, 24 April 1942 – 29 December 2015) 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 borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...

n politician and a senior official of the ruling

Workers' Party of Korea The Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), also called the Korean Workers' Party (KWP), is the sole ruling party of North Korea. Founded in 1949 from a merger between the Workers' Party of North Korea and the Workers' Party of South Korea, the WPK is ...

Early career

Kim Yang-gon started his political career as a vice-director of the party's International Liaison Department in 1986, and during this time he also oversaw relations with

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

as head of the DPRK-Japan Friendship Association. He was a recipient of the top

Order of Kim Il-sung The Order of Kim Il Sung () is the highest order of North Korea, along with the Order of Kim Jong Il, and only second to one honorary title, the Hero of Labour. The order, named after the country's first leader Kim Il Sung, was instituted i ...

in 1995. He was promoted to director in 1997 and visited

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

multiple times during his tenure. In 2005 he also received a position as "councilor" to the

National Defence Commission The National Defence Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (NDC) was the highest state institution for military and national defence leadership in North Korea, which also served as the highest governing institution of the countr ...

Promotion

Several months after the death of

Rim Tong-ok Rim may refer to: *Rim (basketball), the hoop through which the ball must pass **Breakaway rim, a sprung basketball rim *Rim (coin), the raised edge which surrounds the coin design *Rim (crater), extending above the local surface *Rim (firearms), ...

, Kim Yang-gon, considered a confidant to

Kim Jong-il Kim Jong Il (born Yuri Kim; 16 February 1941 or 1942 – 17 December 2011) was a North Korean politician who was the second supreme leader of North Korea from the death of his father Kim Il Sung in 1994 until his death in 2011, when he was ...

, was appointed to replace him as director of the United Front Department of the Workers' Party in March 2007. His first assignment as head of relations with

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

was a visit to

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

in November to discuss

rapprochement In international relations, a rapprochement, which comes from the French word ''rapprocher'' ("to bring together"), is a re-establishment of cordial relations between two countries. This may be done due to a mutual antagonist, as the German Empire ...

measures with Unification Minister Lee Jae-jeong. At the Party Conference held in September 2010, Kim was also appointed secretary for united front and South Korea policies of the

Secretariat Secretariat may refer to: * Secretariat (administrative office) * Secretariat (horse) Secretariat (March 30, 1970 – October 4, 1989), also known as Big Red, was a champion American thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse who was the ninth winn ...

and alternate member of the

Politburo A politburo () or political bureau is the highest organ of the central committee in communist parties. The term is also sometimes used to refer to similar organs in socialist and Islamist parties, such as the UK Labour Party's NEC or the Poli ...

. Kim Yang-gon kept his position under

Kim Jong-un Kim Jong Un (born 8 January 1983 or 1984) is a North Korean politician and dictator who has served as supreme leader of North Korea since 2011 and general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) since 2012. He is the third son of Kim ...

, and he was awarded the newly created

Order of Kim Jong-il The Order of Kim Jong Il () is a North Korean order named after Kim Jong Il, the former leader of North Korea. It is the highest order of North Korea, along with the Order of Kim Il Sung, and only second to one honorary title, the Hero of La ...

in July 2012. He visited South Korea again in October 2014 to attend the closing ceremony of the 2014 Asian Games with

Hwang Pyong-so Hwang Pyong-so (born c. 1946 or 1949) is a North Korean general and politician who held the rank of Vice Marshal (, ''Ch'asu'') in the Korean People's Army (KPA). He was a member of the Presidium of the Workers' Party of Korea and the top-ranki ...

and

Choe Ryong-hae Choe Ryong-hae (; born 15 January 1950) is a North Korean politician and military officer who currently serves as Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly and First Vice President of the State Affairs Commission, hol ...

, and in late August 2015 to negotiate a deal to halt military provocations around the

Demilitarized Zone A demilitarized zone (DMZ or DZ) is an area in which treaties or agreements between states, military powers or contending groups forbid military installations, activities, or personnel. A DZ often lies along an established frontier or boundary ...

Death

In December 2015, North Korea's news agency reported that Kim Yang-gon died in a car accident. He was

lying in state Lying in state is the tradition in which the body of a deceased official, such as a head of state, is placed in a state building, either outside or inside a coffin, to allow the public to pay their respects. It traditionally takes place in a ...

in Sojang Club in Pyongyang and honored in a

state funeral A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive elements o ...

. He was replaced in January 2016 by

Kim Yong-chol Kim Yong-chol (; born 1946) is a North Korean general and politician. From February 2009 to January 2016 he was the director of the Reconnaissance General Bureau, the country's primary intelligence service. From 2016 to 2019, and again from ...

.What the new photos of North Korea's leaders say.

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...

, 13 May 2016. Retrieved 13 May 2016. Kim Yang-gon's funeral committee was composed of: #

Kim Yong-nam Kim Yong-nam (; born 4 February 1928) is a North Korean retired politician who served as the President of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of North Korea, from 1998 until 2019. Due to holding the office, he was considered the hea ...

Pak Pong-ju Pak Pong-ju (; born 10 April 1939) is a North Korean politician who served as the Premier of North Korea from 2003 to 2007 and again from 2013 to 2019. He was elected a member of the Presidium of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) in 2016. Early ...

# Kim Ki-nam #

# Choe Tae-bok #

Pak Yong-sik Pak Yong-sik (born 1950) is a senior North Korean military officer and Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) politician, who served as the country's defence minister from 2015 to 2018. Pak is the 6th Defense Minister appointed by Kim Jong Un. Pak is a ...

Ri Yong-gil Ri Yong-gil (, born 1952) is a North Korean military officer who is currently a vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea and the Chief of the General Staff. Career Ri was made a Lieutenant General in Ap ...

Yang Hyong-sop Yang Hyong-sop (; 1 October 1925 – 13 May 2022) was a North Korean politician who served as Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly and Chairman of the Supreme People's Assembly from 1983 to 1998 (from 1994 it was f ...

Kang Sok-ju Kang Sok-ju (; ; August 29, 1939 – May 20, 2016
on Ri Yong-mu Ri Yong-mu (; 25 January 1925 – 27 January 2022) was a North Korean senior official who was a member of the Politburo of the Workers' Party of Korea, vice-chairman of the National Defence Commission of North Korea and vice-marshal of the Korea ...

O Kuk-ryol O Kuk-ryol (, 7 January 1930 – 9 February 2023) was a North Korean military general. He was Chief of General Staff of the Korean People's Army from 1979 to 1988. He also served as vice-chairman of the National Defence Commission of North Ko ...

Kim Won-hong Kim Won-hong (; born 17 July 1945) is a North Korean politician and military general. Early life and education Kim was born in what is now North Korea's North Hwanghae Province. He graduated from the Workers' Party of Korea's Kim Il-sung Highe ...

Kwak Pom-gi Kwak Pom-gi (; born 20 November 1939) is a North Korean government official. After graduating from Huichon Industrial College, he began his career in 1983 as a machine factory manager, progressing through the machinery bureau of the Workers' P ...

O Su-yong O Su-yong (; born 1944) is a North Korean politician. He was a Vice Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and the director of the Economic Affairs Department of the WPK. Biography O Su-yong was born in 1944. In 1988, he was appointed t ...

# Kim Pyong-hae #

Choe Pu-il General Choe Pu-il (; born 6 March 1944) is a North Korean politician who served as head of North Korea's Ministry of Social Security (North Korea), Ministry of People's Security. Biography In April 1992, he was promoted to major general and to ...

Ro Tu-chol Ro Tu-chol (, born 2 October 1950) is a Vice Premier of North Korea's cabinet and the Chairman of the State Planning Commission. During Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Trutnev's three-day visit to Pyongyang Pyongyang () is the Capita ...

Jo Yon-jun Jo Yon-jun (born September 28, 1937) is a North Korean politician. Jo is a candidate member of the Politburo of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and former first deputy in the Organization and Guidance Department (OGD) of the Central Committee ...

Im Chol-ung Im Chol-ung (, born 27 October 1961) is a North Korean politician. Im was a Vice Premier of North Korea. He is also an alternate member of the Politburo of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and a full member of its Central Committee. Im's early ...

Kim Tok-hun Kim Tok-hun (, born 1961) is a North Korean politician who was formerly the premier of North Korea and a full member on the Presidium of the Politburo of the Workers' Party of Korea. He is additionally a vice president of the State Affairs Co ...

# Kim Yong-jin # Ri Mu-yong # Ri Chol-man # Kim Yong-dae #

Ryu Mi-yong Ryu Mi-yong (; 14 February 1921 – 23 November 2016) was the chairwoman of the North Korean Chondoist Chongu Party. She was a standing committee member of the 10th Supreme People's Assembly. She was known as a defector from South Korea to the ...

Ri Il-hwan Ri Il-hwan (, born 1960) is a North Korean politician and a member of the Politburo of the Workers' Party of Korea, Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). ...

Ri Man-gon Ri Man-gon (born 1945) is a North Korean politician who served as Director of the Organization and Guidance Department and Vice Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea from 2019 to 2020. He was formerly a member of the Politburo of the Workers' P ...

# Kim Man-song #

Choe Sang-gon Choe Sang-gon (, born 28 April 1953) is a politician of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. He is a member of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea and was also a member of the 13th convocation of the Supreme People's Assem ...

# Ri Yong-rae # Kim Jong-im # Kim Jung-hyop #

Hong In-bom Hong In-bom () is a North Korean politician. He is a member of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea and Chairman of the Control Commission of the Party Central Committee. Biography Hong in Bŏm began his professional career as ...

# Kim Kyong-ok #

Choe Hwi Choe Hwi (, born 1954) is a North Korean politician. He is a Vice Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and the chairman of the State Physical Culture and Sports Guidance Commission. Choe's portfolio as the Vice Chairman of the party co ...

Ri Pyong-chol Ri Pyong-chol (, born 1948) is a North Korean military official and formerly a top advisor of supreme leader Kim Jong Un, who serves as Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission and a member of the Presidium of the Politburo of the Work ...

# Kim Yong-su # Jon Il-chun # Jong Myong-hak # Kim Hi-taek # Jon Kyong-nam # So Hong-chan #

No Kwang-chol No Kwang-chol (; born 1956) is a North Korean soldier, a four-star general, and a member of the political bureau, who is the current minister of Defence. Biography No was born in 1956. He was elected as a member of the Supreme People's Assembly ...

# Rim Gwang-il #

Jo Nam-jin Jo Nam-jin is a North Korean military officer. Biography He is known to serve as the deputy director of the KPA General Political Department and head of the Organization Department of the Korean People's Army. He holds the rank of Colonel-Gener ...

# Ryom Chol-song # Jo Kyong-chol # Yun Tong-hyon # Kim Hyong-ryong #

# O Kum-chol #

Tae Jong-su Thae Jong-su (; born 20 March 1936) is a North Korean politician. He was a Vice Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and the director of the Munitions Industry Department of the WPK. He is a full member of the 7th Central Committee o ...

Kim Su-gil Kim Su-gil (, born 1950) is a North Korean general and politician. He was the director of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People's Army (KPA) from when he replaced Kim Jong-gak in May 2018 until January 2021. Since 1 January 2023, h ...

# Pak Tae-song #

Kim Nung-o Kim Nung-o (, born in the late 1960s) is a North Korean politician. He is the chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) Party Committee of Pyongyang. Kim is also a full member of the Central Committee of the WPK and an alternate member of ...

# Jon Sung-hun #

Pak Yong-ho Pak Yong-ho (born May 29, 1974) is a former South Korean football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, footb ...

# Pak Tae-dok #

Kim Jae-ryong Kim Jae-ryong (, born 1959) is a North Korean technocrat and politician who served as Premier of North Korea from April 2019 to August 2020. A senior official within the Workers' Party of Korea, he has served as the director of the Organization ...

Pak Jong-nam Pak Jong-nam () is a North Korean politician. He is a member of Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea and Director of the WPK Document Archives. Biography In March 1996, he took over as the WPK Committee of Hamhung, and in July 2001 ...

# Ri Sang-won # Kang Yang-mo # Rim Kyong-man #

Kim Wan-su Kim Wan-su (born 10 May 1939) is the Vice Chairman of the Supreme People’s Assembly (SPA) of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK, North Korea). He was demoted from his positions as President of the Central Bank of the Democratic ...

# Won Tong-yon # Ri Jong-hyok # Kim Jin-guk # Pak Jin-sik

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Kim, Yang-gon Members of the Supreme People's Assembly 1942 births 2015 deaths Road incident deaths in North Korea People from South Pyongan Province 20th-century North Korean people 21st-century North Korean people Alternate members of the 6th Politburo of the Workers' Party of Korea Members of the 6th Secretariat of the Workers' Party of Korea Members of the 6th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea