Paek Nam-sun

Paek Nam -sun ( born March 13, 1929 in the province of Kankyo - hokudo, former Japanese Empire, present-day North Korea; † 2 January 2007) was from 1998 to 2007 Foreign Minister of North Korea.

Life

Paek Nam -sun graduated from the Kim Il-sung University in Pyongyang. His political career began as vice - chairman of the foreign affairs department of the Workers' Party of Korea. 1972 to 1979 he was ambassador to Poland. He took in May, 1973, to the 6th Inner part Korean Red Cross talks in Seoul. At the preliminary meeting between the two Deputy Prime Ministers of South Korea and North Korea, he took part in June 1994. In the 1990s, he traveled four times to bilateral talks with South Korea.

His appointment as foreign minister in 1998 came as a surprise to observers because he had relatively little experience abroad. Compared with its five predecessors in this office ( Pak Hon -yong Nam Il, Pak Song - chol, Ho Dam, Kim Yong -nam ), he seemed to lie lower in the internal hierarchy. A major cabinet reshuffle in 2003 he was harmless.

He was regarded as the most important contacts abroad and was designated as an expert on South Korea.

Death

The North Korean state news agency KCNA reported on 3 January 2007, leader Kim Jong- il had sent a wreath to the bier Paek Nam- suns and family members sent his condolences. More details on the exact date of death and cause of death were not disclosed.

The American news agency Associated Press quoted on January 4, the official Chinese news agency Xinhua, according to which the suffering from kidney disease Paek Nam -sun died on January 2 of kidney failure.

Family

His third son, Paek Ryong - chon since December 2007 President of the North Korean central bank.