North Korea’s state news agency reported Monday that Hwang Pyong-so, a close aide of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, has been promoted to a vice-marshal.
 
The Korean Central News Agency said the National Defense Commission and the Central Military Commission of the Workers’ Party of Korea unveiled the decision to promote Hwang last Saturday.
 
The report comes after Hwang appeared as a four-star general during a military event held in Pyongyang on April 15.
 
Hwang, 65, currently serves as the Senior Deputy Director of the Organization Guidance Department under the North Korean Workers Party, and is speculated to have gained special confidence from Kim’s mother, Ko Yong-hui.
 
There are only six vice marshal-level officials in the North, including Choe Ryong-hae, the general political department director of the Korean People’s Army.