North Korea’s Workers’ Party Secretary Kim Yang-gon died in a traffic accident on Tuesday.
 
The North’s Korean Central News Agency reported the death on Wednesday.
 
Kim was 73 years old. He headed the United Front Department of the Workers' Party which manages relations with South Korea.
 
The news agency said Kim had long undertaken the work of the party with sincere loyalty and competence, calling his passing a big loss to the party and the people.
 
Known as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's "diplomatic brain," Kim had been in charge of diplomacy with South Korea as well as other nations. After working as international director under the Kim Jong-il regime, he emerged to manage relations with China.
 
He is known to have helped create an environment for inter-Korean dialogue when tensions flared in August of this year after North Korean land mines exploded in the Demilitarized Zone.