Kim Yang-gon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kim Yang-gon
김양건
Kim Yang-gon at Closing Ceremony of Incheon Asian Games 2014
Born	(1942-04-24)24 April 1942 Anju-si, South Pyongan Province, Japanese Korea
Died	29 December 2015(2015-12-29) (aged 73) North Korea

Kim Yang-gon (김양건, born April 24, 1942 – died December 29, 2015) was an important politician in North Korea. He was a top official in the country's main political group, the Workers' Party of Korea.

Kim Yang-gon's Early Career

Kim Yang-gon began working in politics in 1986. He started as a vice-director in a department that handled North Korea's relationships with other countries. During this time, he also worked on building friendships between North Korea and Japan.

In 1995, he received a very important award called the Order of Kim Il-sung. He was promoted to director in 1997 and often traveled to China. Later, in 2005, he also became an advisor for North Korea's defense group.

Becoming a Senior Official

In March 2007, Kim Yang-gon was chosen for a very important role. He became the director of the United Front Department of the Workers' Party. This department was in charge of North Korea's relationships with South Korea. He was a trusted advisor to Kim Jong-il, who was the leader of North Korea at the time.

His first big job in this new role was visiting Seoul, South Korea. He went there in November 2007 to talk about ways to improve relations between the two countries.

In September 2010, Kim Yang-gon received more important positions. He became a secretary for policies related to the united front and South Korea. He also became an alternate member of the Politburo, which is a very powerful committee in the Workers' Party.

Kim Yang-gon kept his important roles when Kim Jong-un became the leader of North Korea. In July 2012, he was given a new award called the Order of Kim Jong-il. He visited South Korea again in October 2014 to attend the closing ceremony of the 2014 Asian Games. He also went to South Korea in August 2015 to help make a deal. This deal aimed to stop military actions near the Demilitarized Zone, which is the border between North and South Korea.

Kim Yang-gon's Death

In December 2015, North Korea's news agency announced that Kim Yang-gon had died. They reported that he passed away in a car accident. He was honored with a state funeral in Pyongyang, and his body was displayed for people to pay their respects.

In January 2016, another politician named Kim Yong-chol took over Kim Yang-gon's former position.

Many important people were part of Kim Yang-gon's funeral committee, including:

See also

In Spanish: Kim Yang-gon para niños