DPRK's Kim Jong Un elected first chairman of National Defense Commission

PYONGYANG, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) leader Kim Jong Un has been elected first chairman of the National Defense Commission, official news agency KCNA reported Friday.

The election came during the fifth session of the 12th Supreme People's Assembly (SPA), where delegates also venerated late leader Kim Jong Il as eternal chairman of the powerful commission, the agency said.

"The fifth session of the 12th Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK elected Kim Jong Un, first secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, supreme commander of the Korean People's Army and supreme leader of the WPK and people of the DPRK, as first chairman of the National Defence Commission (NDC) of the DPRK," the KCNA said in a news alert.

Other issues discussed in the session at the Mansudae Assembly Hall included "revising and supplementing the Socialist Constitution of the DPRK," assessing the work of the cabinet in 2011 and setting its tasks for 2012, reviewing the 2011 national budget and developing the 2012 national budget, among others.

The SPA is the supreme power organ of the DPRK. It holds the highest position and authority of the country and exercises legislative power. The parliamentary session is usually held annually.

At the Fourth Conference of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) on Wednesday, Kim Jong Un was elected first secretary of the WPK and Kim Jong Il was venerated as eternal general secretary of the party.

Also during the WPK conference, Kim Jong Un was appointed chairman of the party's Central Military Commission. He became vice chairman of the commission during the previous WPK conference on Sept. 28, 2010.