Kim Yang-gon, a senior official in North Korea’s ruling party who was responsible for building ties with South Korea, died on Tuesday in a car crash, the country's government said. Kim Yang-gon was credited with helping North Korea and South Korea avert conflict on several occasions. This included an incident earlier in the year, when an exchange of fire and a landmine explosion that injured South Korean soldiers was blamed on North Korea, The Guardian reported. Yang-gon was one of Kim Jong-un’s top associates, whom the Korean Central News Agency described as a “trusted revolutionary comrade” who dedicated his life to finding peace with South Korea. KCNA has not said who will replace him. Rare high-level talks were held between the two countries earlier this month.

Kim Yang-gon also played a role in organising the 2007 summit between the then North Korean leader Kim Jong-il and South Korean president Roh Moo-hyun. He was part of a high-level delegation that held talks in August, after cross-border tensions reached a high point in recent years. Analysts have said Kim Yang-gon’s death could lead to a deterioration of ties between the two countries. Kim Jong-un has dismissed the deaths of several officials as accidents since his father’s death in 2011.