North Korean leader attends funeral for former military chief
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attends a state funeral for former military chief Kim Yong-chun on Monday. KCNA via Yonhap
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attended a state funeral for a former military chief who died last week, state media said Tuesday.
Kim praised Kim Yong-chun, chief of the Korean People's Army (KPA), for his "glorious life in which he enjoyed the most worthy life as revolutionary," according to the Korean Central News Agency in English.
Army Gen. Kim Su-gil, director of the KPA general political bureau, delivered the eulogy, it added.
Kim Yong-chun died of acute myocardial infarction on Thursday, the KCNA earlier reported.
He was known to be one of the most influential military leaders during the era of former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.
From 2007-2014, he was vice chairman of the powerful National Defense Commission. In 2009, he was Minister of the People's Armed Forces and was promoted to marshal title in 2016. (Yonhap)