North Korea's new leader visits army unit: report

Soldiers were enthusiastically cheering in tears of emotion as Kim toured a military base and took photos with troops, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Thursday.It was the second reported visit by Kim, the youngest son of late leader Kim Jong-Il, to a military unit this month and the latest attempt to help the inexperienced leader tighten his grip on power.Jong-Un toured the base as his father would do, said KCNA, without disclosing the location or date of the visit.Army top brass including Ri Yong-Ho, the chief of the militarys general staff, accompanied him. The unit was previously visited by Kim Jong-Il and his father, founding president Kim Il-Sung.Jong-Un, believed to be in his late 20s, was proclaimed supreme leader and appointed commander of the 1.2-million-strong military following the death of his father on December 17 of a heart attack.Under the Norths policy known as Songun, the militarys needs are prioritised over those of civilians.Little is known about the untested Jong-Un, who was given top party posts and made a general in 2010 despite scant military experience.The North has launched a propaganda campaign to build a personality cult around the new leader, like that enjoyed by his father and grandfather, who had near-godlike status.The Kim dynasty has ruled the impoverished but nuclear-armed state for more than six decades with an iron fist.