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.