Kim named NK military supremo
Reuters
2011-12-31
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PLEASE NOTE: EDIT CONTAINS CONVERTED 4:3 MATERIAL
He's 20-something and so-far untried and untested but Kim Jong-un is now officially North Korea's supreme commander of its armed forces.
State broadcaster KRT announced the news on Saturday.
SOUNDBITE: KRT news reader saying (Korean):
"We proclaimed the dear comrade Kim Jong-un, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea, as the supreme commander of the Korean People's Army according to a will made by our great leader Kim Jong-il on October 8, 2011."
The appointment shows official approval of Kim's control of one of the world's most powerful armed forces.
It also suggests consolidation of his power could be quicker than some observers had expected.
Footage recently aired by state TV has shown Kim flanked or followed by the North's top military officers and a coterie of leaders during mourning ceremonies for his father.
Paul Chapman, Reuters
He's 20-something and so-far untried and untested but Kim Jong-un is now officially North Korea's supreme commander of its armed forces.
State broadcaster KRT announced the news on Saturday.
SOUNDBITE: KRT news reader saying (Korean):
"We proclaimed the dear comrade Kim Jong-un, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea, as the supreme commander of the Korean People's Army according to a will made by our great leader Kim Jong-il on October 8, 2011."
The appointment shows official approval of Kim's control of one of the world's most powerful armed forces.
It also suggests consolidation of his power could be quicker than some observers had expected.
Footage recently aired by state TV has shown Kim flanked or followed by the North's top military officers and a coterie of leaders during mourning ceremonies for his father.
Paul Chapman, Reuters
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