| Taewonsu Grand marshal | |
|---|---|
 Shoulder boards for the rank of‹See RfD›taewŏnsu | |
| Country |  North Korea |
| Service branch |  Korean People's Army |
| Formation | April 1992 |
| Next higher rank | None |
| Next lower rank | Konghwaguk Wonsu[a] (Marshal of the Republic) |
| Taewonsu | |
| Chosŏn'gŭl | 대원수 |
|---|---|
| Hancha | |
| Revised Romanization | Daewonsu |
| McCune–Reischauer | Taewŏnsu |
Taewonsu (대원수,lit. 'grand marshal') is the highest possiblemilitary rank ofNorth Korea and is intended to be an honorific title forKim Il-sung andKim Jong-il. It is often confused withMarshal of the Republic andMarshal of the Korean People's Army, but ranks above both.[1] The rank is senior to that ofWonsu. The title also exists in Chinese military history asdàyuánshuài (same Sino-Korean characters大元帥), and was briefly taken bySun Yat-sen.[2][3]
The rank oftaewonsu was created by a joint decision of theCentral Committee andCentral Military Commission of theWorkers' Party of Korea, theNational Defence Commission and theCentral People's Committee in April 1992 to honorKim Il-sung on his 80th birthday (Day of the Sun). In February 2012, his son and successorKim Jong-il was awarded the title posthumously on the occasion of his official 70th birthday (Day of the Shining Star).[4][5]
The insignia fortaewonsu is similar towonsu but with an added crest worn beneath the shoulder board's large marshal star (and an added crest added to the parade uniform's marshal star worn below the collar), below theEmblem of North Korea. The rank insignia is based on the rank ofGeneralissimo of the Soviet Union.
According to rank comparison charts of theUnited States Forces Korea (USFK),taewonsu is equivalent to a "seven-star general", with the junior ranks ofwonsu andchasu listed as six and five stars respectively.[6]
The South Korean armed forces have never made an attempt to declare an equivalent to thewonsu ranks of North Korea, and indeed often deride these ranks as having been created so as to "outrank" the military leaders of other nations, rather than for any necessary purpose of military administration. Even so, the holders of these ranks have commanded one of the largest military forces in the Pan-Asian theater therefore giving some credence to their existence.[7]
Other pronunciations of the characters大元帥
