Seoul: Jo Myong Rok, one of the most influential military figures of the North Korean communist regime and a close confidante of military ruler Kim Jong Il, has died. He was 82.
Vice Marshal Jo died on Saturday of a chronic heart problem, the state news agency KCNA reported on Sunday.
Jo was first deputy to Kim Jong Il in the National Defence Commission - the most powerful body in the country. As recently as September Jo was named to the presidium of the politburo of the ruling Korean Workers' Party.
Ten years ago, the veteran of the Korean War (1950-53) was sent as Pyongyang's special envoy to Washington, where he was received by former US president Bill Clinton. The visit was part of US overtures to open up contacts with the largely isolated Stalinist country.