North Korea’s Former SPA Chairman Dies

North Korea’s Workers’ Party newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, reported on the 21st that Kim Jong Un, the General Secretary of the Workers’ Party of North Korea, paid a visit to the mourning altar of the late Central Committee Secretary Choi Tae Bok, who passed away on the 20th, to express deep condolences./Yonhap News

Choi Tae Bok, who served as the chairman of North Korea’s Supreme People’s Assembly, passed away at the age of 94.

According to the Korean Central News Agency, Kim Jong Un, the Chairman of the State Affairs Commission, visited his mourning altar with the secretaries of the Central Committee of the Party in the early morning of the day, bringing condolences and flowers.

The agency described him as a “loyal revolutionary warrior of the great leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il” and “a long-standing political activist of our party and state who made outstanding contributions to the accomplishment of the Juche revolution.”

It added, “He made a significant contribution to developing Juche science according to the party’s ideology and intention and firmly nurturing the new generations as the successors of socialist construction who will carry on the future of the revolution,” and “He left a clear achievement in enhancing the dignity and external authority of our republic through his skillful diplomatic activities.”

At the same time, it lavished praise on him, saying, “His upright life as a comrade who has been respected by everyone with his high intelligence and clean character has never blurred the nature of a revolutionary warrior who is endlessly loyal to the leader,” and “He is an excellent textbook example of a true human being who dedicates his life to the Juche cause and will live forever in the memory of the country and future generations.”

Choi Tae Bok is known to have served as the Chairman of the Supreme People’s Assembly for the longest duration from 1998 to 2019. He was particularly active in the fields of education and diplomacy and served in several key positions, including the Education Secretary of the Workers’ Party, the Secretary in charge of International Affairs, and the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly, demonstrating his loyalty throughout three generations of North Korean rule.

His last public appearance was during the 2022 regime founding day (9.9 Festival), where he was invited as a senior cadre.

By. Young Hoon Park