Kim Ki Nam, a propaganda mastermind who helped forge the cult of personality for the family dynasty that has ruled North Korea since its founding in the Cold War, has died at the age of 94.
Kim, who had been in poor health for several years, died on Tuesday, the official Korean Central News Agency reported, saying he devoted his life to the "sacred struggle for defending and strengthening the ideological purity of our revolution."
The official biography released by KCNA said that Kim rose from the hardships of childhood to work at the Central Committee of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea from 1956, earning the trust of state founder Kim Il Sung. He spent more than 60 years consolidating the ideological foundation of the party and helped train talent that would support the state, KCNA reported.