KIM JONG-UN has been made “Marshal” of North Korea, a title previously held by his late father, Pyongyang said, as the young successor of the communist dynasty tightens his grip on power.
The move came as Hyon Yong-Chol was confirmed as the new army chief after his recent appointment as vice-marshal. The promotion was widely expected and sees him replace Ri Yong-Ho who was removed from his post at the weekend.
Analysts said the new title underlined Jong-Un’s efforts to reinforce control over the 1.2-million-strong military. The new leader, who is in his late 20s, has made a series of visits to military units since his father died in December.
“A decision was made to award the title of Marshal of the DPRK [North Korea] to Kim Jong-Un, supreme commander of the Korean People’s Army,” the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said on Wednesday.
The title of Marshal was held by both Jong-Un’s father, Kim Jong-Il, and his grandfather Kim Il-Sung, the North’s founding father.
“By donning the mantle worn by the two Kims, Jong-Un is projecting an image as a legitimate successor to the throne and tightening his grip on power,” Professor Kim Yong-Hyon of Dongguk University told AFP.
Il-Sung was promoted to “Generalissimo” in 1992, two years before his death of a heart attack, while Jong-Il was posthumously awarded the same title in February.
With Hyon promoted to vice marshal on Monday, Jong-Un, who was made a general in September 2010, apparently needed a new rank befitting the supreme commander of the military, Cheong Seong-Chang of the Sejong Institute said.
“This is the only title left for Jong-Un to decorate himself with after he assumed almost all party and army positions,” he said.
Senior military officials and thousands of soldiers gathered in Pyongyang to celebrate Jong-Un’s promotion and to pledge loyalty to the new marshal, state TV showed.
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