Mun Jong-nam

In this Korean name, the family name is Mun.

Mun Jong-nam
North Korea ambassador to Syria
In office 30 May 2018 – 8 March 2022
Leader	Kim Jong-un
North Korea ambassador to Italy
In office 28 August 2017 – 1 October 2017
Leader	Kim Jong-un
Personal details
Nationality	North Korean
Occupation	Diplomat
Korean name
Chosŏn'gŭl	문정남[1]
Revised Romanization	Mun Jeong-nam
McCune–Reischauer	Mun Chŏng-nam

Mun Jong-nam (died 8 March 2022) was a North Korean diplomat and official, who served as North Korea’s Ambassador to Syria. He also served abroad in Thailand and Italy.

Life and career

Mun Jong-nam was a long-time foreign ministry official.[2] He served in the international organization bureau at the North Korean foreign ministry.[3] He has also served as an official in the World Food Programme National Coordination Committee at Pyongyang.[4]

Mun had served in North Korea's embassy in Thailand.[3]

In July 2017 Mun was nominated to be the new ambassador to Rome, after the post had been vacant for over a year according to South Korean sources.[2] His predecessor Kim Chun-guk had died of liver cancer.[3] However, Italy demanded on 1 October as a retaliation for North Korean nuclear and ballistic missile tests that he should leave the country. Mun had started working in Italy but had not finished the accreditation process.[2] Italy had earlier approved his nomination.[5] Mun had been in Rome for about a month, as he had assumed the post on 28 August.[6][5]

At the time of his death Mun was the North Korean ambassador to Syria.[7][8] He presented his credentials on 30 May 2018 in Damascus.[9] During the ceremony, Syrian president Bashar al-Assad is said by KCNA to have proclaimed that he will visit North Korea and meet with leader Kim Jong-un.[7][8][9]

Mun died from a stroke on 8 March 2022.[10]

Works

• Investment in land and water in the DPR Korea - Mun Jong Nam

See also

• Foreign relations of North Korea
• Pak Ui-chun

References

1. 수리아주재 조선대사 문정남 임명 (in Korean). Pyongyang. Korean Central News Agency. 3 May 2018.
2. "Italy orders North Korea ambassador home over missiles". The Guardian. October 2017. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
3. "New N.K. envoy to take office in Italy after long vacancy". Yonhap News Agency. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
4. "VERIFICATION OF THE ADOPTED DECISIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS". World Food Programme. June 2010. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
5. "Italy becomes latest country to expel North Korean ambassador". The Hankyoreh. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
6. Fifield, Anna (1 October 2017). "Italy becomes fifth country to expel North Korean ambassador". The Washington Post. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
7. "Syria's Assad to become first head of state to meet Kim Jong-un in North Korea: KCNA". The Times of India. 3 June 2018. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
8. "Syria's Bashar al-Assad to visit North Korea". Al Jazeera. 3 June 2018. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
9. "Syrian president to visit DPRK: KCNA". Xinhua. 3 June 2018. Archived from the original on 9 January 2020. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
10. "North Korean ambassador to Syria dies from stroke: Syrian state media | NK News". 9 March 2022.