Wonsu - North Korea

North Korea

Wonsu is a rank in the Korean People's Army of North Korea, equivalent to Marshal in other armies.

While he was the Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army, Kim Il Sung became North Korea's first Marshal during the Korean War by the decision of the Supreme People's Assembly, the unicameral parliament of North Korea. Period photographic evidence demonstrates that the early Marshal shoulder board rank insignia was the same as that of the current Vice Marshal shoulder boards (a large star overlain with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea coat-of-arms).

The rank of Vice Marshal (Chasu) is unique to the North Korean ranking system. Vice Marshal was first conferred in February 1953 to Choe Yong Gon. Sources suggest that the shoulder board rank insignia for Marshal and Vice Marshal then became a single large star without the state coat-of-arms (for Marshals) and the state coat-of-arms without a star (for Vice Marshals). By the time the next conferral of rank to Vice Marshal was awarded (1985), the shoulder board rank insignia for Marshal and Vice Marshal had taken on their current design.

The next change in the DPRK Marshal ranks took place in 1992 when the rank of Dae Wonsu or Grand Marshal (full title Grand Marshal of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea) was created for Kim Il Sung. At this time the rank of Marshal was divided into two ranks: the rank of Marshal with the title "Marshal of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea" was conferred upon Kim Il Sung's son Kim Jong-il, and the same rank but with the title "Marshal of the Korean People's Army" was conferred upon O Jin U. In 1995, two other military officers were conferred the rank of Marshal with the title "Marshals of the Korean People's Army", i.e. Choe Kwang and Li Ul-sol. Insignia of rank of the two grades of Marshal are different (with the insignia for Marshal of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea being more like that of Grand Marshal - the Grand Marshal insignia has a larger wreath encompassing the marshal's star - but is more smaller as it is below the star itself).

Also, in 1992 eight other generals were promoted to Vice Marshal at which time in North Korea there was one Grand Marshal, one Marshal of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, one Marshal of the Korean People's Army and eight Vice Marshals.

The rank (as Marshal of the DPRK) was bestowed to Kim Jong-un in 2012.