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Kim Jong Un has appointed Jang Song-Thaek as head of the new sports body. Ng Han Guan/AP/Press Association Images
Pastures new

North Korea forms new sports body led by Kim's uncle

Jang Song-Thaek is seen as a key figure in the North’s power elite.

NORTH KOREA’S RULING communist party on Sunday announced a new sports body headed by the uncle of leader Kim Jong-Un, state media said.

Jang Song-Thaek was named head of the State Physical Culture and Sports Guidance Commission, which will “control the overall sports work of the country in a unified manner”, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Jang — the husband of late leader Kim Jong-Il’s sister Kim Kyong-Hui, is seen as a key figure in the North’s power elite.

The formation of the commission, aimed at helping the North become a global “sports power”, comes after the secretive and impoverished communist country won four gold and two bronze medals at this year’s London Olympics — in weightlifting, judo and wrestling.

Athletes thanked past and present rulers for their performance. Official propaganda bestows near-godlike status on the Kim dynasty, who are customarily credited with inspiring all national achievements.

- © AFP, 2012

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