SEOUL, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un presided over a state funeral for Kim Yong Nam, the nation’s longtime ceremonial head of state, who passed away at the age of 97. The solemn ceremony took place on Wednesday at the Patriotic Martyrs’ Cemetery in Pyongyang, attended by senior officials, family members, and a 100-member funeral committee. Kim Yong Nam, who was not related to the ruling Kim family, was honored with a procession through the streets of Pyongyang, where citizens paid their respects as his flag-draped coffin and a large portrait were transported to the cemetery. North Korean Premier Pak Thae Song delivered a eulogy, while Kim Jong Un and hundreds of mourners, dressed in black suits or military uniforms, bowed in silent tribute before the burial. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that participants prayed for the immortality of Kim Yong Nam’s revolutionary spirit, acknowledging his significant contributions to the party and state. Kim Yong Nam served as the head of North Korea’s rubber-stamp parliament from 1998 to 2019, a role that positioned him as the nominal head of state, though real power remained with the Kim dynasty. He played a key diplomatic role, notably accompanying Kim Jong Un’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, to the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea as part of a diplomatic outreach. However, these efforts faltered in 2019 after the collapse of talks between Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump. Kim Yong Nam was replaced by Choe Ryong Hae in April 2019 and had been undergoing treatment for colon cancer since June 2022 before succumbing to multiple organ failures on Monday.