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North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's youngest son, Kim Jong-un, has been appointed a general, amid rumours he is being anointed as successor.
State television said the elder Kim had been re-elected as leader, at the start of a meeting of the ruling party.
The Workers' Party has not met for decades and observers believe Kim Jong-il may be cementing the family dynasty.
The succession is being closely watched because of the North's nuclear programme and hostility with the South.
Lack of experience
The announcement about Kim Jong-un is his first mention by name in state media and is reminiscent of his father's rise to prominence which began in the mid-1970s.
Little is known of him other than that he was educated in Switzerland and is around 27 years of age.
He is being elevated to the post of four-star general without military experience and despite being Kim Jong-il's third and youngest son.
His elder brother and half-brother appear to have been ruled out of the running for the succession.
The state television announcer was quoted as saying that his father had been reappointed as general secretary of the Workers' Party as an "expression of absolute support and trust".
She said a "crucial" development was under way but gave no further details.
The state news agency said the leader had been re-appointed with "the unanimous will and wishes" of North Koreans.
The statement described Kim Jong-il's "immortal exploits" and said they would "shine long in the history of the country" as he developed the ruling party of his late father, Kim Il Sung.
Kim Jong-il's sister, Kyong-hui, has also been named a four-star general, announced the state-run Korean Central News Agency. Kyong-hui is married to Chang Song-taek, seen by some analysts as North Korea's second-most powerful leader.
A long-time aide to the Kim family, Choe Ryong-Hae, was also appointed a general.
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