Kim Chang-son, close aide of N. Korean leader, dies: KCNA

Kim Chang-son, who had served as the protocol chief to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, has died, according to the North's state media Friday. The North's leader expressed "deep" condolences over his death and sent a wreath to the bier the previous day, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported, without saying the cause of his death. The report said Kim Chang-son had worked in important posts of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea and the state for a long time under "the special loving care and deep trust of the peerlessly great men." He "made a distinguished contribution to defending the prestige of our Party and enhancing the external prestige of the country with his steadfast honesty and sincerity," the KCNA said. Kim Chang-son, known as the de facto chief of staff to Kim Jong-un, served as the protocol chief, notably appearing on the sites of the North Korean leader's summit diplomacy. In the height of Kim Jong-un's summit diplomacy in 2018-2019, highlighted by summit talks with U.S. President Donald Trump in Singapore and Vietnam, Kim Chang-son visited summit facilities in advanc