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North Korea's new leader Kim Jong-Un led a mass rally Friday for his late father and grandfather following the country's failed rocket launch.
The defiant launch drew condemnation from world leaders who described it as a "provocative" act that threatened regional security, despite Pyongyang insisting it was intended to put a satellite into orbit for peaceful purposes.
Jong-Un appeared for a ceremony attended by tens of thousands of people crowding a central area in Pyongyang to unveil giant new statues of the late president Kim Il-Sung and his son and longtime ruler Kim Jong-Il.
The televised ceremony coincided with the announcement that Jong-Un was elected "first chairman" of the powerful National Defense Commission, apparently a new title.
His late father was named "eternal" chairman of the commission, the country's top decision-making body, at an annual session of the North's rubber-stamp parliament, state media said.
The new titles complete the transfer of state, military and party power from Kim Jong-Il to his son.
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Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
North Korea's new leader Kim Jong-Un led a mass rally Friday for his late father and grandfather following the country's failed rocket launch.
The defiant launch drew condemnation from world leaders who described it as a "provocative" act that threatened regional security, despite Pyongyang insisting it was intended to put a satellite into orbit for peaceful purposes.
Jong-Un appeared for a ceremony attended by tens of thousands of people crowding a central area in Pyongyang to unveil giant new statues of the late president Kim Il-Sung and his son and longtime ruler Kim Jong-Il.
The televised ceremony coincided with the announcement that Jong-Un was elected "first chairman" of the powerful National Defense Commission, apparently a new title.
His late father was named "eternal" chairman of the commission, the country's top decision-making body, at an annual session of the North's rubber-stamp parliament, state media said.
The new titles complete the transfer of state, military and party power from Kim Jong-Il to his son.
* * *
* * *

# # #
North Korea's new leader Kim Jong-Un led a mass rally Friday for his late father and grandfather following the country's failed rocket launch.
The defiant launch drew condemnation from world leaders who described it as a "provocative" act that threatened regional security, despite Pyongyang insisting it was intended to put a satellite into orbit for peaceful purposes.
Jong-Un appeared for a ceremony attended by tens of thousands of people crowding a central area in Pyongyang to unveil giant new statues of the late president Kim Il-Sung and his son and longtime ruler Kim Jong-Il.
The televised ceremony coincided with the announcement that Jong-Un was elected "first chairman" of the powerful National Defense Commission, apparently a new title.
His late father was named "eternal" chairman of the commission, the country's top decision-making body, at an annual session of the North's rubber-stamp parliament, state media said.
The new titles complete the transfer of state, military and party power from Kim Jong-Il to his son.
* * *
* * *

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