North Korean leader cements control over army

By Jack Kim

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was named marshal of the army, the country's top military rank, in a move that adds to his glittering array of titles and cements his power in the isolated and impoverished state that has a 1.2 million strong military.

The decision was made on Tuesday and reported on Wednesday by North Korea's state media. It comes after the country's top general was purged.

The new title completes Kim Jong-un's elevation following the death of his father Kim Jong-il in December. He already heads the Workers' Party of Korea and is First Chairman of the National Defence Commission.

Kim -- believed to be in his late 20s -- has steadily worked to impose his own stamp on the top leadership of North Korea, and on Sunday ousted Vice Marshal Ri Yong-ho, the country's leading military figure, who was seen as close to Kim Jong-il.

Key to Kim's rule is a lineage that stretches back to his grandfather, Kim Il-sung, who founded the North Korea and is still revered as its eternal president.

"The personality cult surrounding Kim family has been really shifted to Kim Jong-un," said Daniel Pinkston of the International Crisis Group, who visited North Korea earlier this month and spoke to reporters in the South Korean capital on Tuesday.

China, the North's most important diplomatic and economic backer, gave a guarded reaction. It noted the new title but stopped short of an outright message of congratulation.

"China and North Korea are friendly neighbors and we wish for the smooth development of all undertakings in North Korea under the leadership of comrade Kim Jong-un and the Workers' Party of Korea," China's foreign ministry said in a statement.