First generation revolutionary Lee Ul Sol, the only other living ‘Marshal of the Chosun People’s Army’ besides Kim Jong Eun, has been employed by the North Korean authorities to idolize the new North Korean leader, even though he is roughly 50 years his junior.

In a full-page, front-page Rodong Shinmun article on Kim’s promotion today, Lee is quoted as saying, “Comrade Kim Jong Eun will soon be a symbol of every one of our motherland’s victories and its glory,” before going on to add that “the veterans of our revolutionary liberation will loyally accept his lead with single-minded devotion.”

He also notes, “The first generation of revolutionaries will always step forward to accept the military-first leadership of comrade Kim Jong Eun.”

However, Lee is now around 90-years old, having been born in 1921 and fought alongside Kim Il Sung against Japanese occupation. He is the only surviving one of three veterans (Oh Jin Woo and Choi Kwang being the others) made ‘marshal’ in October 1995.

Such actions are particularly shocking for those from East Asian countries such as South Korea, which, like the North, still harbors strong Confucian cultural elements.