North Korea holds state funeral for longtime ceremonial head of state

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SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un led a state funeral for the country’s longtime ceremonial head of state, Kim Yong Nam, who died this week at age 97.

Kim Jong Un and other senior officials from a 100-member funeral committee joined family members as Kim Yong Nam — unrelated to the ruling Kim family — was buried on Wednesday at the Patriotic Martyrs' Cemetery in Pyongyang, the North’s official Korean Central News Agency said Thursday.

State media images showed mourning citizens bowing along the streets as a car carrying Kim Yong Nam’s flag-draped coffin and a large portrait drove toward the cemetery, where Kim Jong Un and other senior officials waited at the entrance.

North Korean Premier Pak Thae Song delivered a eulogy, and Kim Jong Un, along with what appeared to be hundreds of other mourners dressed in black suits or military uniforms, bowed in silent tribute before Kim Yong Nam’s remains were buried, according to KCNA’s report and photos.

“All the participants prayed for the immortality of the pure soul and revolutionary spirit of Kim Yong Nam, who made a distinguished contribution” to the party and state, KCNA said.

Kim Yong Nam served as head of the country’s rubber-stamp parliament from 1998 to April 2019, a post that made him North Korea’s nominal head of state, though real power has always rested with Kim Jong Un’s family, which has ruled the country as a dynasty since 1948.

Kim Yong Nam’s prominent government role made him a central figure in key moments of diplomacy. In February 2018, he traveled to South Korea with Kim Jong Un’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, to attend the opening of the Winter Olympics, as North Korea launched a diplomatic push with Seoul and Washington to leverage its nuclear weapons for economic gains. The efforts derailed in 2019 following a collapsed summit between Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump due to disagreements over U.S.-led international sanctions.

Kim Yong Nam was replaced by Choe Ryong Hae in April 2019. State media said he was treated for colon cancer since June of last year and died Monday after experiencing multiple organ failures.