In old age Kim was no longer considered a major player in North Korean politics, having retired from most of his important posts.

During this time, he was a central figure in the establishment of a unitary leadership and a collective principle system in North Korea, along with Kim Jong Il.

[1] In October 1980 he was appointed a member of the powerful 6th Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea.

[1] Kim led North Korea's munitions industry, the country's economic base, along with Korean Workers' Party Secretary Jon Pyong-ho.

During a reshuffle in 2003, which saw the removal of other members of the first generation of North Korean leadership such as Ri Ul-sol,[5][6] Kim was retired from the Second Economic Committee and the National Defense Commission.