Kim seeks to strengthen grip on power
North Korea announced Wednesday that its young leader, Kim Jong-un, who took over from his late father Kim Jong-il in December, has assumed the title of marshal, the second highest military title in the country, second only to grand marshal.
The announcement of Kim's new title came two days after the sacking of the army chief Ri Yong-ho, who was later replaced by a veteran but low-profile field commander.
Analysts believe the recent changes in military personnel and titles reflected Kim's attempt to consolidate his grip on power.
"Perhaps Kim wants to surround himself with people he trusts and likes so as to further his control over the military," said Liu Ming, a researcher at the Institute of International Relations of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.
John Delury, a North Korea expert at Yonsei University in Seoul, believes that the reshuffle shows the succession from Kim Jong-il to Kim Jong-un has proceeded much more smoothly than many outside analysts expected.
"Whatever the reason for Ri Yong-ho's departure, the fact that he could be dismissed from all his posts in the name of the Politburo is an indication that the military leadership cannot simply do as they please, and that control rests with Kim Jong-un and his allies," said Delury.
According to the Japan Daily Press, some Japanese experts believe this is a sign of North Korea government's instability, and will not lead to a more relaxed foreign policy.
The country's foreign policy, though, remains grounded on the notion that the country is under imminent threat from South Korea and the US.
Jim Hoare, former British charge d'affaires in Pyongyang and now a senior teaching fellow at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London, told the Global Times that the young leader seems to be asserting control over the military.
"He may be keen to get his own appointments in place and after 7 months he may be more confident than he was at the start," Jim said.
Educated in the West, Kim Jong-un is seen as more receptive to undertaking sweeping reforms to open up the country's state-directed economy than his late father.
Lee Sung-yoon, a North Korea specialist at the Fletcher School of Tufts University in Boston, sees the unsurprising "promotion" of Kim Jong-un as his way of trying to publicly bolster his image and credentials in preparation for diplomatic maneuvers with regards to Beijing, Washington and Seoul.
"Kim wishes to visit China. He wishes to engage the US president in concessionary diplomacy once again. Further, as bizarre as this may sound, if Kim were to make a bold proposal to the South Korean president for a summit meeting, that would put immense pressure on Lee Myung-bak and steer the political wind in South Korea in North Korea's favor in the months leading up to the South Korea's presidential election in December," Lee said.
Agencies contributed to this story