SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Kim Ki Nam, a North Korean propaganda chief who helped build personality cults around the country’s three dynastic leaders, has died at 94, the North’s state media said.
North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said the country’s current leader, Kim Jong Un, visited the body of Kim Ki Nam at a funeral hall in the capital, Pyongyang, early Wednesday and expressed condolences to family members. The agency said Kim Jong Un will lead the state funeral committee for Kim Ki Nam, who will be buried on Thursday.
KCNA said Kim Ki Nam, a former secretary of the ruling Workers’ Party’s central committee, "devoted his all to the sacred struggle for defending and strengthening the ideological purity of our revolution and firmly guaranteeing the steady victory of the socialist cause.” The agency said he died Tuesday after being treated for age-related illnesses and multiple organ dysfunctions for the past year.
Kim Ki Nam’s role as the country’s chief propagandist earned him notoriety in South Korea, where media nicknamed him the “North Korean Goebbels,” after Nazi Germany’s propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels.
He also led the delegation to South Korea in 2009 that attended the funeral of former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, who had pursued engagement with the North and held a summit with former North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, the father of the current ruler.
Kim Ki Nam was one of the seven senior officials who joined Kim Jong Un in accompanying the hearse of the late leader Kim Jong Il following his death in 2011.
Kim Ki Nam was a professor at Kim Il Sung University and the chief editorial writer of the state-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper before taking leadership roles in the ruling Worker’s Party’s propaganda departments starting in the 1980s.
FILE - North Korean Chief delegate Kim Ki Nam leaves after paying a silent tribute for the late former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung during a memorial service at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, on Aug. 21, 2009. Kim Ki Nam, a North Korean propaganda chief who helped build personality cults around the country’s three dynastic leaders, has died at 94, the North’s state media said. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, File)
In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, front center, with top officials pays a condolence visit to the body of Kim Ki Nam, former secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea at a funeral hall in Pyongyang, North Korea Wednesday, May 8, 2024. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
FILE - North Korean Chief delegate Kim Ki Nam leaves after paying a silent tribute for the late former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung during a memorial service at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, on Aug. 21, 2009. Kim Ki Nam, a North Korean propaganda chief who helped build personality cults around the country’s three dynastic leaders, has died at 94, the North’s state media said. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, File)
BRIGHTON, England (AP) — Manchester United slumped to its worst-ever Premier League finish in eighth place and closed the campaign with a negative goal difference despite beating Brighton 2-0 away in their final game on Sunday.
Diogo Dalot and Rasmus Hojlund were the scorers for United at Amex Stadium as United finished outside the European qualification spots.
Finishing in sixth or seventh place would have confirmed a place in the Europa League or Europa Conference League, respectively, for United, the 20-time English champion. However, the two teams above United — Chelsea and Newcastle — both won elsewhere in the final round.
United could still get into the Europa League by beating Manchester City in the FA Cup on Saturday.
It was United's worst league campaign since coming 13th in the old First Division under Alex Ferguson in 1990.
“We have the best fans in the world and I mean this,” said United manager Erik ten Hag, whose team has endured an injury-hit season. “I have never had this experience when you have a season like us, which is by far not good enough, that the supporters are with us.
“They are with us in the bad season and in bad times they are there. I think also they know why the bad times are there. But we have to pay them back and we have to do everything to give them a trophy next week — but also for the future, we have to perform better.”
It was Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi's final match in charge of his team. He announced Saturday he'd be stepping down after Sunday's game.
While cross-town rival City was busy being crowned league champion for an unprecedented fourth season in a row, United overcame a poor first-half display to avoid setting a new record for the club’s lowest Premier League points tally.
Yet Ten Hag’s men still finished a difficult campaign, which brought 14 top-flight defeats, with a goal difference of -1.
Hojlund, the Denmark international, has hit 16 goals in his debut season, including 10 in the league, following his big-money move from Atalanta. Ten Hag said he hopes that tally increases at Wembley Stadium on Saturday.
“It could always be better but don’t forget he had three injuries this season,” Ten Hag said of the 21-year-old Hojlund's contribution.
“He came in with the injury, missed the start, then he got injured before winter and then he got injured after winter. So every time that broke his rhythm and if you then shoot 16 goals for the first season it’s OK. And it’s not over, we have to play the FA Cup final.”
Following a series of fitness setbacks among this squad, Ten Hag believes he now has a positive selection headache as he contemplates his cup final lineup.
Center back Lisandro Martinez made his first start since early February on the south coast, while Raphael Varane returned to action as a substitute following more than six weeks out.
“I would say the manager and the coaching team have luxury problems, which is good,” Ten Hag said.
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Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag looks on, during the English Premier League soccer match between Brighton & Hove Albion and Manchester United, at the Amex Stadium, in Brighton and Hove, England, Sunday, May 19, 2024. (Steven Paston/PA via AP)
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag applauds fans, at the end of the English Premier League soccer match between Brighton & Hove Albion and Manchester United, at the Amex Stadium, in Brighton and Hove, England, Sunday, May 19, 2024. (Steven Paston/PA via AP)
FILE - Brighton's head coach Roberto De Zerbi shouts to his players from the sideline during the English Premier League soccer match between Liverpool and Brighton and Hove at Anfield Stadium in Liverpool, England, on March 31, 2024. De Zerbi will leave the club after the team’s game against Manchester United. De Zerbi has been discussed as a potential coaching candidate for higher-profile clubs and his “mutually agreed” split from Brighton after Sunday’s match will only fuel further speculation. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)
Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana, centre, makes a save, during the English Premier League soccer match between Brighton & Hove Albion and Manchester United, at the Amex Stadium, in Brighton and Hove, England, Sunday, May 19, 2024. (Steven Paston/PA via AP)
Brighton's Joao Pedro, left and Manchester United's Aaron Wan-Bissaka vie for the ball, during the English Premier League soccer match between Brighton & Hove Albion and Manchester United, at the Amex Stadium, in Brighton and Hove, England, Sunday, May 19, 2024. (Steven Paston/PA via AP)
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag smiles, ahead of the English Premier League soccer match between Brighton & Hove Albion and Manchester United, at the Amex Stadium, in Brighton and Hove, England, Sunday, May 19, 2024. (Steven Paston/PA via AP)
