Kim clan ally named North Korea Premier

North Korea's parliament named former Premier Pak Pong-ju, who was sacked in 2007 for failing to implement economic reforms, as its prime minister on Monday in a move that cements the grip of the ruling Kim dynasty on key posts in the country.

Pak, believed to be in his 70s, is a key ally of Jang Song-thaek, the uncle of the isolated state's ruler Kim Jong-un, and worked for Jang's wife, Kim's aunt Kim Kyong-hui.

"At the session, Deputy Choe Yong-rim was recalled from the post of premier of the DPRK Cabinet and Deputy Pak Pong-ju was elected premier of the DPRK Cabinet," state news agency KCNA said, referring to a meeting of the rubber-stamp parliament. DPRK is short for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.