Kim Jong Un gets defense panel promotion

PYONGYANG, North Korea, Feb. 16 (UPI) -- Kim Jong Un, son of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, was promoted to vice chairman of the National Defense Committee, officials revealed.

The promotion makes the younger Kim the de facto second in command to his ailing father in a move seen as speeding up the transfer of power a few days before the elder Kim's official birthday celebration Wednesday, The Chosun Ilbo in Seoul reported.

A North Korean official said the younger Kim was appointed the National Defense Commission's vice chairman last week. The appointment must be ratified by the Supreme People's Assembly, which meets in April, the newspaper said

The commission's first vice chairman position has been vacant since Jo Myong Rok died last year, North Korean officials told the newspaper Kim Jong Un is "certain" to be appointed to the post at some point.

"The regime is going through the formalities," the official said.

North Korea on Wednesday celebrated the 69th birthday of Kim Jong Il, considered one of the country's most important national holidays, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported. Reports from North Korea said festivities included a synchronized swimming performance, exhibitions of Kimjongilia -- a hybrid flower named after the leader -- and figure-skating and film festivals.

A "solar halo" appeared on a mountain venerated as Kim's birthplace, the official Korean Central News Agency said.

The Korean Central News Agency said the country was "paying high tribute" to the accomplishments of Kim Jong Il, The New York Times reported

However, media reports indicated the government was wary of a possible popular uprising. A U.S. government-funded radio station targeting Asia said the military unit protecting the elder Kim hid about 50 tanks beneath the capital, Pyongyang, in case of an uprising.

The tanks, under the control of the North Korean army's Guard Command, were poised to move to quell any anti-government demonstrations, Radio Free Asia said, citing defectors as sources.

The BBC said records indicate Kim Jong Il actually was born a year earlier in the former Soviet Union, where his father was leading a military brigade, making this his 70th birthday.