DPRK's Kim Jong Un elected as first secretary of WPK Photo released by Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on March 15, 2012 shows leade...

DPRK's Kim Jong Un elected as first secretary of WPK

Photo released by Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on March 15, 2012 shows leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un (L) inspects a coordinated strike drill of the three services of the Korean People's Army. (Xinhua/KCNA)

PYONGYANG, April 11 (Xinhua) -- Kim Jong Un of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) was elected as first secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) at a party conference here Wednesday, official news agency KCNA reported.

The election of Kim Jong Un is in line with the will of late leader Kim Jong Il, who was venerated as eternal general secretary of the WPK during the conference, according to the KCNA.

Participants in the Fourth WPK Conference also vowed to follow the instructions of Kim Jong Il and the leadership of Kim Jong Un to push forward the development of their country.

Slogans in the streets of the capital hailed the conference as a historic assembly "powerfully demonstrating the revolutionary will of the people to accomplish the songun (military-first) revolutionary cause under the leadership of Kim Jong Un."

During the third party conference, held Sept. 28, 2010, Kim Jong Il was re-elected as the party's general secretary and Kim Jong Un was appointed vice chairman of the party's Central Military Commission.

Since its sixth congress in October 1980, the WPK has not convened its seventh so far. The WPK Central Committee can call party conferences between its congresses.