KJU Identified as head of Party Central Military Commission in DPRK Press

Kim Jong Un visits the casket bier of Kim Jong Il with other senior security officials and Korean People's Army (KPA) officers on 24 December 2011 (Photo: KCNA)

The DPRK media has identified Kim Jong Un as leading the Party Central Military Commission.  Yonhap reports:

North Korea’s main newspaper referred to the successor son of late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il as head of a key ruling Workers’ Party organ in a series of articles Monday, indicating that the son is on track to take full control of the communist nation.

One of the titles the late leader held before his Dec. 17 death was the party’s general secretary, a post that automatically makes its holder head of the party’s powerful Central Military Commission.

Last year, the late Kim named his third son, Kim Jong-un, as vice chairman of the commission while promoting him to the rank of a four-star general at the same time in his first official steps to hand power over to the young son believed to be in his late 20s.

On Monday, Pyongyang’s Rodong Sinmun newspaper referred to the successor son as head of the commission in a series of articles calling for loyalty to him, an indication that the son is acting as the commission’s chairman and the party’s general secretary.

It also suggests that the regime would start working to help the son to formally take over the top titles his late father held, including the party’s general secretary and the supreme commander of the North’s Korean People’s Army.

“All party organizations across the country are upholding great comrade Kim Jong-un’s ideology and leadership with one mind,” the newspaper said in an article. “Let’s stake our lives to safeguard the party’s Central Military Commission led by dear comrade Kim Jong-un.”

Jang Song Taek, who will facilitate Kim Jong Un’s assumption of KJI’s various positions, appeared with KJU and other members of the Central Military Commission and National Defense Commission at Ku’msusan on 24 December.  Jang was observed wearing a Korean People’s Army’s [KPA] uniform and holding the rank of 4-star general (taejang).  He was a member of the travel party which escorted KJU to the funeral hall.   Xinhua English reports on KJU’s appearance:

According to the KCNA, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) and “supreme leader of revolutionary armed forces” visited the bier of late leader Kim Jong Il once again on Saturday, expressing profound condolences over his death. Accompanying Kim Jong Un during the visit were members of the WPK Central Military Commission and the National Defence Commission of the DPRK, major commanding officers of the Korean People’s Army (KPA), staff members of the KPA Supreme Command and commanding officers of the KPA’s large combined units, according to the KCNA. The participants “expressed their resolution that the KPA would be faithful to the leadership of Kim Jong Un with armed forces and firmly guard the cause of building a socialistic country,” said the report. Kim Jong Un visited Kim Jong Il’s bier on Dec. 20 and Dec. 23 respectively.

This is a simple illustration of the members and vice-chairman of the National Defense Commission and the major security organization directly subordinate to it.

This chart illustrates basic relationships between and within the National Defense Commission (government body), the Party Central Military Commission (party body) and selected DPRK security organizations which fall under the Korean People's Army