North Korea said yesterday that Kim Jong Un has been officially named Supreme Commander of the military, further strengthening his authority after the death of his father.

Officials and state media have bestowed a string of titles on Kim Jong Un, who is in his late 20s, after Kim Jong Il's death earlier this month following 17 years in power. But the title Supreme Commander – and its formal proclamation by the powerful Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party – is a clear sign Kim Jong Un is fast consolidating power.