SEOUL, April 1 (Yonhap) -- North Korea state media reported Monday that Choi Bu-il was appointed as minister of people's security in February, a move aimed at strengthening incumbent leader Kim Jong-un's hold on power.

The Rodong Sinmun, an organ of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, confirmed that Choi was named to head the internal security agency earlier in the year. The confirmation marks the first time that Pyongyang verified a change in the leadership of the ministry that is roughly equivalent to South Korea's National Police Agency. Intelligence sources in Seoul had speculated in late February that Choi might have been tapped for the post.