The End of an Era: The Passing of North Korea’s Propaganda Chief, Kim Ki Nam

On Wednesday, the official media of North Korea reported the death of former head of regime propaganda, Kim Ki Nam. Kim Ki Nam was known for leading Pyongyang’s crucial propaganda department for decades and forging the still prevailing cult of the Kim dynasty. The current leader of the hermetic regime, Kim Jong Un, bows before the coffin of the “revolutionary veteran” according to KCNA news agency.

Kim Ki Nam passed away on Tuesday at the age of 94 due to his advanced age and “multiple organ dysfunction”. He was hospitalized since 2022. North Korean state media described him as a “veteran of our Party and the revolution,” a “prominent political activist” and a “prestigious theorist.” In late 2010s, his functions as Pyongyang’s chief propagandist were taken over by Kim Yo Jong, the current leader’s influential sister.

The Kim dynasty has ruled this impoverished and isolated nation with an iron fist for three generations. Ahn Chan-il, a defector turned researcher in charge of World Institute for North Korean Studies said that Kim Ki Nam is equivalent to Paul Joseph Goebbels, Nazi Germany’s propaganda chief. He also stated that all propaganda and agitation strategies of Kim dynasty were born from Kim Ki Nam’s mind.