SEOUL, December 26. /TASS/. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sent a wreath on December 25 to honor the late Head of a Department of the State Affairs Commission, Kim Chang Son, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

KCNA noted that Kim Chang Son was a recipient of the Order of Kim Il Sung. The agency stated that he long occupied important party and state positions. "[He] was always steadfast and conscientious, making a special contribution to defending the authority of our party and enhancing the state's prestige abroad," the agency stressed.

The South Korean agency Yonhap added that Kim Chang Son managed protocol for Kim Jong Un and oversaw preparations for important diplomatic events, including summits in Singapore and Hanoi in 2018 and 2019. He also visited South Korea in 2018 as part of a North Korean delegation for the Winter Olympics and oversaw protocol negotiations ahead of the inter-Korean summit that April.

In November, former North Korean formal head of state Kim Yong Nam died at age 97.