DPRK names Kim Jong Un as marshal

Top leader Kim Jong Un of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has been awarded the title of Marshal of the DPRK, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Wednesday.

North Korean top leader Kim Jong Un (C) is surrounded by the officers of Korean People's Army (KPA) during the general tactical exercise of the KPA Combined Unit 655 on April 28, 2012. [Photo: Xinhua/KCNA]

"A decision was made to award the title of Marshal of the DPRK to Kim Jong Un, supreme commander of the Korean People's Army," announced the KCNA.

It added that the decision was jointly issued on Tuesday by the Central Committee and the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), the National Defence Commission (NDC) of the DPRK and the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK.

The KCNA flashed a bulletin about an hour earlier before the news was officially released at 0300 GMT.

Earlier this year, Kim Jong Un was elected first secretary of the WPK, chairman of the WPK Central Military Commission and first chairman of the NDC. He was promoted to the rank of general in September 2010.

In the DPRK, marshal is the second highest title next only to grand marshal, which has been awarded to the country's founding father, Kim Il Sung, in 1992 and to late leader Kim Jong Il posthumously in 2012.

On Tuesday, the KCNA announced a decision of the WPK Central Military Commission and the NDC to promote Gen. Hyon Yong Chol to the title of vice marshal.

Hyon's promotion came a day after Pyongyang's announcement to relieve Vice Marshal Ri Yong Ho of "all posts due to his illness." He had served as a member of the Presidium of the Political Bureau of the WPK Central Committee, vice chairman of the WPK Central Military Commission and chief of general staff of the Korean People's Army.