Kim Yang Gon, 73, North Korea’s top official in charge of relations with South Korea, died in an car accident on December 29. He is the latest in a series of top aides to young North Korean leader Kim Jong Un who are reported to have died in recent years. The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) provided no further details on the death of Kim Yang Gon. He was a veteran of negotiations with South Korea since the era of former leader Kim Jong II.

Kim Yang Gon played a prominent role in talks to defuse tensions between the two sides after an exchange of artillery fire in August. He was the head of the United Front Department, the main agency responsible for dealings with South Korea. He was surely trusted by the Kim family regime, said Greg Scarlatoiu, executive director of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea. The one who appointed him head of the United Front Department was Kim Jong II, the father of the current leader. Also he was really close to young Kim Jong Un.

While road conditions in North Korea are not the best, reports of officials dying in car crashes are often met with skepticism by those who believe the officials were actually assassinated by the state. Kim was often spotted accompanying North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to factories and army units, and was called his “closest comrade-in-arms and steadfast revolutionary comrade” by state media. Prior to his death, AP says, there were no signs of Kim Yang Gon having any problems with other officials.