A top North Korean official deeply involved in inter-Korean affairs died of a chronic illness Sunday at the age of 70.

According to the North’s official Korean Central News Agency, the North’s ruling Korean Workers’ Party announced the death of Lim Dong-ok, who was head of the party’s committee on South-North issues.

The report did not specify the name of the disease.

Lim has been leading the communist state’s efforts on inter-Korean relations since the 1970s.

Lim is considered to be a close confidant of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, always being present in key South-North events, including the 2000 inter-Korean summit as well as Kim’s meeting with former Grand National Party Chairwoman Park Geun-hye in 2002.

South Korean officials say the vacuum left in the ruling party's top posts from Lim and top secretary Kim Yong-soon, who died in 2003, is expected to only have a short-term effect on South-North ties.

The Korean Workers' Party has been North Korea's ruling party since 1946, and has had only two leaders, Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il.