Jeon Hee-jung, former director of the Foreign Affairs Bureau of the National Defense Commission who was in charge of protocol for North Korean leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, has passed away, according to North Korea's state media outlet, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), on the 22nd. He closely assisted Kim Jong-il during the inter-Korean summits in 2000 and 2007, and in the process, met Presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun.
The agency reported on the same day, "Comrade Kim Jong-un expressed deep condolences on the passing of Comrade Jeon Hee-jung, former vice minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and recipient of the Order of Kim Il-sung and the Order of Kim Jong-il, sending a wreath on the 21st." Although the exact date of death was not disclosed, considering that he was born in 1930, he is estimated to have been 90 years old at the time of his passing.
KCNA evaluated, "Comrade Jeon Hee-jung, who grew into a capable cadre in the field of foreign affairs under the care of peerless great leaders, possessed infinite loyalty and dedication to the Party, the revolution, the homeland, and the people, and made great contributions to realizing the foreign policy of our Party and the government of the Republic."
Jeon Hee-jung was the first to welcome President Kim Dae-jung aboard the plane upon his arrival at Pyongyang Sunan Airport during the historic first inter-Korean summit in 2000, and also handled protocol for Chairman Kim Jong-il during the 2007 summit with President Roh Moo-hyun.
Since the 1980s, he held the title of director of the Foreign Affairs Bureau at the Kumsusan Memorial Palace, managing protocol for Chairman Kim Il-sung, and later took full charge of all foreign activities protocol for Chairman Kim Jong-il.
Having worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since the 1950s, serving as first secretary at the Cambodian embassy and counselor at the embassy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, he was later assigned to handle protocol for the supreme leader and stepped down as vice minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs following Kim Jong-il’s death.
Jeon Hee-jung last appeared in North Korean media in 2015 during the 43rd ambassadorial meeting convened by Chairman Kim Jong-un, who summoned overseas mission chiefs.
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