“North Korean Joseph Goebbels”, drinking buddy of Kim Jong-il, has died

North Korea’s highest government bodies jointly announced Kim Ki-nam’s death notice on Tuesday. The former North Korean propaganda master died at the age of 94 due to old age and multiple organ disorders. He had been receiving treatment for this since 2022, the state news agency said Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

The obituary praised Kim Ki-nam as a veteran of the Workers’ Party of Korea and the revolution. In addition, he was “a committed political activist who strove for ideological purity and the political triumph of socialism.” He served under all three North Korean leaders in power since the declaration of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in 1948.

US sanctions

In 1966, the North Korean was appointed deputy director of the propaganda department of the ruling political party. He worked closely with Kim Jong-il, they would even drinking buddies have been. Kim Ki-nam later rose to head the department, where he promoted a personality cult around the Kim dynasty by coining political slogans, controlling media and directing artists to portray the dynasty positively.

His role as the country’s chief propagandist also earned him an infamous reputation abroad. For example, the South Korean media nicknamed Kim Ki-nam “North Korean Goebbels” – after Nazi Germany’s propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels. In 2016, he was placed under sanctions by the US government, along with Kim Jong-un.

Kim Ki-nam retired in 2017. When his successor Pak Kwang Ho suffered from health problems, Kim Ki-nam still held a number of public positions. He continued to attend public events until 2022, but as he grew older he disappeared from the public eye.

Editor-in-chief of the state newspaper

In North Korea, Kim Ki-nam could count on a lot of respect. Before taking on a leading role in the propaganda departments of the ruling Workers’ Party, he was editor-in-chief of the state-owned newspaper Rodong Sinmun. As a mark of deep respect, the newspaper devoted its entire front page to the death of Kim Ki-nam and the details of his funeral.

The Kim dynasty also had immense respect for the propaganda expert. He was one of only two civilian officials to accompany Kim Jong-il’s coffin at his funeral in December 2011. Kim Jong-un will also head the state funeral committee for Kim Ki-nam, who will be buried on Thursday, May 9 , it said KCNA.