A senior North Korean ruling party official and a top aide to leader Kim Jong Un has died in a car accident, the state news agency reported on Wednesday, the latest dramatic demise in the close circle of deputies to the country’s leader.
Kim Yang Gon, who was a secretary of the Workers’ party and the head of its United Front Department, the unit that handles the North’s ties with South Korea, was Kim Jong Un’s “closest comrade, a solid revolutionary partner”, KCNA said.
Mr Kim was part of a high-level delegation that held talks in August after the rival states exchanged artillery fire, raising tensions to one of the highest points in recent years.