Kim Yong Nam, president of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly of the DPRK, received credentials from Aingeal O’Donoghue, ambassador of Ireland to the DPRK, at the Mansudae Assembly Hall Tuesday. Aingeal O’Donoghue will be based in Beijing. It’s the first time that an Irish will be attached to the DPRK. Ireland used to have to diplomatic relations with the DPRK.
Kim Yong Nam (born in 1928) is the de facto representative of the DPRK on the foreign scene. A considered ambassador should meet with the President of the DPRK. The president of the DPRK is Kim Il Sun, however he passed away in july 1994. Kim Yong Nam was chosen in order to replace the dead Kim Il Il Sung on the international stage. It has to be noticed that Kim Yong Nam is also a member of the Kim family. Further reading indicates that the MOFA is managed by the Kim family (including young managers of this ministry)