North Korea names Kim Jong Un Supreme Commander
PYONGYANG, North Korea - North Korea has officially named Kim Jong Un as Supreme Commander, the country said Saturday, putting him formally at the head of the 1.2 million-strong military and further strengthening his authority in the wake of Kim Jong Il's death.
An unannounced Workers' Party meeting Friday proclaimed that Kim Jong Il's son and successor, who is in his late 20s, "assumed supreme commandership of the Korean People's Army" according to a will made by Kim Jong Il on Oct. 8, the North's official Korean Central News Agency said in a statement early Saturday morning.
The meeting of the North's ruling party came one day after the official mourning period for Kim Jong Il ended and senior military and political officials publicly declared Kim Jong Un leader of the party, military and people at a memorial for his father attended by hundreds of thousands.
Officials and state media have bestowed on Kim Jong Un a string of titles as North Korea's elite rally around him in the wake of his father's death on Dec. 17.
But the title Supreme Commander — and its formal approval by the powerful Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party — is a clear sign that Kim Jong Un is fast consolidating power over North Korea. It's also the latest step in a burgeoning personality cult around him.
North Korea calls Kim Jong Un "supreme leader"
N. Korea vows no change despite new leadership
Kim Jong Un should be "the only center of unity, cohesion and leadership" of the Workers' Party, North Korea's state media said, and the military should uphold the "songun," or military-first, politics laid down by Kim Jong Il.
Titles are an important part of North Korea's efforts to link Kim Jong Un to the myth-building surrounding the Kim family legacy.
Kim Il Sung, the country's first and only president, retains the title Eternal President even after his death.
Kim Jong Il held three main positions: chairman of the National Defense Commission, general secretary of the Workers' Party and supreme commander of the Korean People's Army. According to the constitution, his position as chairman of the National Defense Commission made him Supreme Leader of North Korea.
Kim Jong Un was made a four-star general last year and appointed a vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party. Since his father's death, he has wracked up major titles from officials and state media: Great Successor, Supreme Leader and Great Leader earlier Friday. And now he has officially been named Supreme Commander.
The North has made great efforts to show the world a unified face, but Kim Jong Un's age and inexperience have raised questions outside North Korea about his leadership of a nation engaged in delicate negotiations over its nuclear program and grappling with decades of economic hardship and chronic food shortages.
The North warned Friday that there would be no softening of its position toward South Korea's government.
North Korea's powerful National Defense Commission said the country would never deal with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, a conservative who ended a no-strings-attached aid policy toward the North in 2008.
"We declare solemnly and confidently that the foolish politicians around the world, including the puppet group in South Korea, should not expect any change from us," the National Defense Commission said.
The commission said the "evil misdeeds" of the Lee administration reached a peak when it prevented South Koreans from visiting North Korea to pay respects to Kim Jong Il, except for two delegations led by a former first lady and a business leader, both of whose husbands had ties to North Korea.
North Korea had said foreign official delegations would not be allowed at the funeral but that it would welcome any South Koreans who wanted to travel to pay respects to Kim.
"Even though we lost Kim Jong Il, we have the dear respected Kim Jong Un," Kang Chol Bok, a 28-year-old officer of the Korean People's Internal Security Forces, told The Associated Press. "We will turn our profound sorrow into strength and courage."
Koh Yu-hwan, a North Korea expert at Seoul's Dongguk University, said the North is warning Seoul in the National Defense Commission statement not to take the new leadership lightly. He added that it's "too early to say the North is dashing hopes for reforms."
While blasting the South's leader, the North also offered a bit of hope for improved ties with the South, saying it "will continue to push hard toward the path of improved relations."
But it added that any better ties won't be "based on the deceitful ploys South Korea is employing by mixing 'toughness' and 'flexibility."' Seoul has signaled a change in its approach toward Pyongyang in recent months, saying it will be more flexible in dealing with the North.
South Korea's Unification Ministry said Seoul will maintain its North Korea policy and not react to every statement out of Pyongyang.
On Thursday, a somber Kim Jong Un was flanked by top party and military officials at his father's memorial, including Kim Jong Il's younger sister, Kim Kyong Hui, and her husband, Jang Song Thaek, who are expected to serve as mentors of their young nephew.
"The father's plan is being implemented," Ralph Cossa, president of Pacific Forum CSIS, a Hawaii-based think tank, said of the transfer of power. "All of these guys have a vested interest in the system and a vested interest in demonstrating stability. The last thing they want to do is create havoc."
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Kim Jong Un should model his policies more after China, who has finally started treating their people better and is excelling in education, technology, like green energy etc. not advanced weapons,and economy! And, now, we are indebted to them! They want a better way of life after years of Communism. They want to become us! And they are succeeding!
The north is it's own answer to itself. Look in the mirror NK. Look at a satellite photo of your country at night.
You can say what you want about us and our friends. We aren't perfect and our democracy may seem out of control sometimes to outsiders, but that's what a free people do: openly discuss, debate, argue and move forward. You'll never understand it.
Freedom must be absolutely terrifying to NK. Where they see chaos and lack of control we see the power of free will and the promise of a better tomorrow.
Every time I see a photo from your country just makes me that much happier that I am an American. Thank you for reminding us exactly why we exist in the first place.
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sharong59, at no time in ANY of the countries that espouse(d) communism were all, or even most, of the people treated equally. Unless having your face in the dirt & a boot on the back of your neck like all of your neighbors counts as being "treated equally".
Next: "If he keeps starving his people, he is gonna end up with retards for soldiers!" The army IS being fed. In fact, that's one of the main inducements to join their army. In their country the sole purpose of the "peons" is to support the party & the military. And if some of the "peons" die, oh well, that's their lot in life.
If you're one of those people who believe history repeats itself then I'll suggest to you that the political/social situation in N. Korea today appears to me to be similar, if not exactly the same, as France in 1788. And if they're still teaching history in school these days you'll know what happened in France in 1789. In fact, the picture of fat boy does remind me of the images of Louis XVI. :)