N.Korea's leader becomes 'Marshal': Pyongyang

SEOUL - North Korea's leader Kim Jong-Un has been made "Marshal" of the communist state, Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Wednesday.

The title was previously held by Kim's father and predecessor Kim Jong-Il, who was posthumously promoted to generalissimo in February this year.

"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," KCNA said.

The decision was jointly issued on Tuesday by several top state and party organs, it added.

Jong-Un became a general in September 2010. His promotion to a marshal came days after the country sacked its army chief Ri Yong-Ho as part of a reshuffle apparently aimed at tightening the new leader's grip on the military.

Pyongyang made Hyon Yong-Chul a vice marshal earlier this week, paving the way for him to succeed Ri as the army head.

"With Hyon awarded the title of a vice marshal, Jong-Un apparently needed a new, higher military rank as the supreme commander of the military," Cheong Seong-Chang of the Sejong Institute told AFP.

"This is the only title left for Jong-Un to decorate himself with after he assumed almost all party and army positions," he said.