An inside source has revealed that the North Korean authorities plan to honor Kim Jong Il with the title ‘Grand Marshal’ on February 16th, which would have been the late leader’s 70th birthday.
[imText1]The source told Daily NK, “The Ministry of the People’s Armed Forces ordered each division to submit a suggestion to welcome the 70th anniversary of comrade Kim Jong Il’s birth by raising him to Grand Marshal’.”
“They were ordered to submit the proposals by February 5th,” he added.
Kim Jong Il was made ‘Marshal of the DRPK’, the rank below Grand Marshal, in April, 1992. The only Grand Marshal in North Korean history to date has been Kim Il Sung, who received the rank on his 80th birthday, also in April, 1992.
It is suspected that part of the reason why the North Korean authorities want to so rapidly endow Kim Jong Il with the highest available rank is to free space to move Kim Jong Eun up the ranks, too. Kim Jong Eun was made Supreme Commander of the People’s Armed Forces on the 30th of last month but is still only General Kim, technically below the rank of people like key supporter Vice-Marshal Lee Young Ho, the army chief of staff.
Thereafter, the inside source also predicted, “After the submission of proposals to make him Grand Marshal, North Korea will bring the army forward to submit proposals to designate Supreme Commander Kim Jong Eun a ‘Hero of the Republic’. North Korea made Kim Jong Il a ‘Hero of the Republic’ on the same day Kim Jong Eun was made Supreme Commander, December 30th, 2011.
