North Korea said on Saturday it has officially appointed Kim Jong-un, anointed successor and the youngest son of the late leader Kim Jong-il, the supreme commander of North Korea's 1.2 million-strong military. The North's state news agency KCNA said the appointment was made at a meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party on Friday.
KCNA said the Political Bureau members "courteously proclaimed the dear comrade Kim Jong-un, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea, assumed the supreme commandership of the Korean People's Army" according to a will made by Kim Jong-il on October 8.
Since the death of Kim Jong-il this month aged 69, North Korean state media have dubbed the junior Kim in his late 20s, as "Supreme Commander". But the announcement on the politburo's decision meant an official approval of his control of one of the world's most powerful armed forces. Kim Jong-un was not only named a four-star general but also given the vice-chairmanship of the ruling party's central military commission by his father last year.