N Korea's Kim in military shuffle

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The North Korean leader, Kim Jong-il, has promoted a close aide to a leading role on the body which controls the country's 1.1m-strong military.

General O Kuk-ryol, 78, will serve as a vice chairman of the powerful National Defence Commission, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

He replaces Vice Marshal Kim Yong-Chun who is now the armed forces minister.

Correspondents say Gen O is a hardliner and his appointment seems intended to send a defiant message to South Korea.

Gen O rose to the rank of four-star general in 1985, and once served as chief of the military's general staff.

His appointment is another sign that Kim Jong-il is tightening his control over the military amid high tensions with its southern neighbour, analysts say.

Leadership fears

Relations between North and South Korea are at a new low after the North recently scrapped several peace agreements and the South appointed a hard-line unification minister.

North Korea is reportedly planning to launch a missile test, and on Wednesday - in the latest in a series of warnings to its southern neighbour - said its troops were "fully ready" for war.

There is also much speculation over the health of Kim Jong-il, after reports he had a stroke last year.

Mr Kim is not known to have named his successor and Western diplomats fear any leadership crisis could further raise tensions on the peninsula.