Kim Jong Un’s trusted aide and diplomatic protocol chief, Kim Chang Sun, has passed away.
North Korea’s ruling party newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, reported on Friday that Kim Jong Un sent a wreath the previous day to express his deep condolences over Kim Chang Sun’s death. The exact time and cause of death were not disclosed.
Rodong Sinmun praised Kim Chang Sun for serving in key party and state positions and for earning the special trust and affection of successive leaders. It credited him with making significant contributions to strengthening the party’s authority and enhancing the country’s international standing through his loyalty and dedication.
Born in 1944 in Myongchon, North Hamgyong Province, Kim Chang-sun began his career in the secretariat during Kim Jong Il’s tenure as Chairman of the National Defense Commission, earning the moniker butler to the Kim family.
Following Kim Jong Un’s rise to power, Kim Chang Sun assumed the role of “chief of secretariat,” analogous to the White House Chief of Staff, overseeing the leader’s diplomatic protocols during international engagements and garnering significant global attention.
After Kim Jong Un came to power, Kim Chang-sun assumed the role of chief of secretariat, often compared to a White House chief of staff. In this position, he oversaw the leader’s diplomatic protocol during overseas engagements and drew international attention.
In February 2018, Kim Chang Sun attended the PyeongChang Winter Olympics opening ceremony as part of a high-level North Korean delegation alongside Kim Yo Jong, the Workers’ Party deputy director. Later that April, he served as North Korea’s chief representative in working-level talks on protocol, security, and media arrangements for the inter-Korean summit, engaging in discussions with Yoon Geon Young, then head of South Korea’s presidential National Security Office.