SEOUL, Nov. 5 (Yonhap) -- North Korean officials have mourned the death of the country's former ceremonial leader, Kim Yong-nam, joined by the Chinese and Vietnamese ambassadors, according to state media Wednesday.
Kim, former chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly, died Monday at the age of 97 from multiple organ failure while battling colorectal cancer.
North Korean officials from the ruling party, government, armed forces and other state organizations visited the funeral facility in Pyongyang the previous day, where Kim's body was laid, to mourn his death, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.
Television footage from the funeral facility showed a flower wreath bearing the name of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, while Chinese Ambassador Wang Yajun and Vietnamese Ambassador Le Ba Vinh also visited the site to offer condolences.
North Korea has been holding a state funeral for Kim Yong-nam since the previous day. Leader Kim Jong-un visited his bier early Tuesday morning to express "deep condolences."
Kim Yong-nam's coffin was to leave the funeral hall Wednesday to be laid to rest.
As a career diplomat, Kim served in high-profile diplomatic posts spanning the regimes of national founder Kim Il-sung, late leader Kim Jong-il and current leader Kim Jong-un.
For 21 years since the start of Kim Jong-il's rule, he served as chairman of the parliamentary standing committee, a position that at that time represented the head of state, albeit in a titular capacity.
In 2018, he visited South Korea as head of a North Korean delegation to the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, which included Kim Yo-jong -- the powerful sister of the leader -- and held a meeting with then President Moon Jae-in.
He retired from six decades of public service at the age of 91 in 2019.
pbr@yna.co.kr
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