The North Korean propaganda craftsman died: who was Kim Ki Nam, the “Goebbels of Pyongyang” and why did the dictator even come to the funeral – VIDEO

North Korea’s master of propaganda has died at the age of 94, state media has announced. Kim Ki Nam has spent decades leading propaganda efforts in the totalitarian state, including building a cult of personality around the ruling Kim dynasty, Reuters and BBC News write.

Kim Ki Nam died of old age and “multiple organ failure” for which he had been receiving treatment since 2022, Pyongyang’s official KCNA news agency said.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attended his funeral early Wednesday morning and paid tribute to the “veteran revolutionary who remained unstintingly loyal” to the regime, the report added.

Kim Ki Nam had no blood relation to the dictatorial family, despite sharing the same surname, among the most common in North and South Korea.

South Korean news agency Yonhap compared him to Nazi Germany’s propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels, known for his mantra: “repeat a lie often enough and it becomes the truth.”

He was appointed deputy director of Pyongyang’s Propaganda Department in 1966, where he worked closely with Kim Jong Il, the predecessor and father of current leader Kim Jong Un.

Kim Ki Nam later rose to head the department, playing a crucial role in shaping the country’s messaging in service of the world’s longest-lived dynasty.

He is said to have had a close relationship with Kim Jong Il, with several media reports describing them as “best friends”, writes the BBC.

In the 1970s, he was appointed head of the Rodong Sinmun newspaper, the mouthpiece of the totalitarian state.

He later led initiatives to establish the role of Kim Il Sung – widely regarded as North Korea’s founding father – in the country’s history and to support Kim Jong Il’s succession to the country’s leadership, according to North Korea Leadership Watch, a website on the political culture of Pyongyang.

It ensured a smooth transition for Kim Jong Un

The Propaganda Department that Kim Ki Nam coordinated strictly monitored communications and information flows within and outside the state.

South Korean and Western entertainment, including music and movies, are banned in the country. And the sanctions were always harsh and applied without mercy.

Rare footage obtained by BBC Korean earlier this year showed the public sentencing of two teenagers to 12 years of hard labor after watching South Korean dramas.

Kim Ki Nam is one of the few North Korean officials to visit the South, leading a delegation that attended the funeral of former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung in 2009 (pictured, bottom).

An example of how the propaganda machine went into action was after the sudden death of Kim Jong Il in 2011. This hastened the rise of his son, Kim Jong Un, to the leadership of the country. Young Kim was only 20 years old at the time.

“No force on earth can stop the revolutionary advance of our party, army and people under the wise leadership of Kim Jong Un,” assured one of the first KCNA reports after Kim Jong Il’s death.

“Under the leadership of Kim Jong Un, we should turn our pain into strength and courage and overcome the current difficulties,” the article said.

Remained at the mercy of the current dictator until the end

In 2015, images released by state media showed the tall, sunglasses-wearing Kim Ki Nam – aged 80 at the time – standing among a group of military officials and taking notes as Kim Jong Un was speaking.

He stepped down in the late 2010s, ceding his role to Kim Jong Un’s sister Kim Yo Jong, but continued to appear at public events – a sign that he remained on good terms with the regime.

“Kim Jong Un kept Kim Ki Nam in key propaganda positions for years, indicating that, like his father, he trusted and relied on him,” researcher Rachel Lee told the BBC at the US-based think tank 38 North Program.

Lee added that the Rodong Sinmun devoted its entire front page on Wednesday to the death of Kim Ki Nam and the details of his funeral, and this “speaks of the respect given to him”.

Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Seoul’s Ewha University, also said Kim Ki Nam’s death marked the “end of an era” for North Korean propaganda.

“This is someone who sought to glorify the regime in Pyongyang in a way that would attract attention throughout the Korean Peninsula and beyond,” he said.

The state’s propaganda machine has since moved away from the pan-Korean style of nationalism of the previous generation, Professor Easley said.

“Now, Kim Jong Un is demonizing South Koreans and relying heavily on nuclear weapons for political legitimacy,” he said.