Kim Yong Nam, the only person outside of the ruling Kim family dynasty to serve as North Korea's nominal head of state, has died, state media reported on Tuesday.

Kim Yong Nam, the former chairman of the Presidium of the country's Supreme People’s Assembly and a long-time diplomat who served all three of the country's leaders, died on Monday at the age of 97, state media KCNA said. Also Read | 'If he'd like to meet…': Trump ‘open’ to meeting North Korea's Kim Jong Un

Never more than a figurehead in a country tightly controlled by a family dictatorship, Kim Yong Nam's unique position as the ceremonial head of state from 1998 until his retirement in 2019 made him the face of key diplomatic moments.

‘Kim Yong Nam had high degree of influence through patronage connections’

"Despite ha

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