Kim Yang-gon, a close aide of North Korea's Kim Jong-un and person in charge of inter-Korean affairs, died in a road accident on Tuesday morning, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.
"Comrade Kim Yang-gon, a Workers' Party secretary and member of the party Central Committee Politbureau... died in a traffic accident at 6.15 a.m., Tuesday, at age 73," KCNA reported on Wednesday, according to BBC.
The state media described him as Kim Jong-un's "closest comrade and a solid revolutionary partner."
Kim Yang-gon was a member of a high-level delegation from North Korea who attended inter-Korean talks in August, which resulted in a historic peace deal between the rival nations, according to Yonhap news agency. North's Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Park Geun-hye agreed on Aug. 25 to hold a high level talks under the peace deal that ended a military standoff on the Korean peninsula.
Kim Yang-gon's sudden demise might derail the ongoing talks between the Koreas, warned analysts.
"This is going to deliver negative impacts on inter-Korean relations. In light of the North's nature, I don't see anyone who can replace him in his role in daring to offer policy ideas and advice to the leader in these fields," South Korean analyst Yang Moo Jin told AFP news agency.
