Kim’s heir declared supreme leader

NORTH Korea’s power brokers publicly declared Kim Jong-un the supreme leader for the first time at a massive public memorial for his father Kim Jong-il, cementing the family’s hold on power.

The son, dubbed North Korea’s Great Successor, stood with his head bowed on a balcony at the Grand People’s Study House overlooking Kim Il-sung Square and watched the memorial that doubled as a show of support for his burgeoning role as leader.

The unequivocal public backing for Kim Jong-un at his father’s memorial provides a strong signal that government and military officials have unified around him in the wake of Kim Jong-il’s death on December 17.