( CNN ) -- Kim Jong Un has assumed `` the supreme commandership '' of the North Korean army , state media reported Saturday . The power was transferred to him on October 8 at the behest of his father , Kim Jong Il , who died this month , said the state-run Korean Central News Agency . The announcement came a day after prospects for a shift in relations on the Korean peninsula were dashed when North Korea said a change in leadership would not mean a change in policy . `` We solemnly declare with confidence that the South Korean puppets and foolish politicians around the world should not expect any change '' from North Korea , the country 's National Defense Commission said in a statement reported by KCNA . That statement came after two days of elaborate ceremonies in Pyongyang that honored Kim Jong Il and underlined the rise of his son and chosen successor , Kim Jong Un , to the position of `` supreme leader '' of the secretive state . The nuclear-armed North `` will have no dealings with the Lee Myung-bak group of traitors forever , '' the statement said in an English-language version of the KCNA report . Lee is the South Korean president . South Korea 's Unification Ministry expressed disappointment . `` The ministry finds today 's statement regretful , '' it said . `` However , the ministry 's basic principle towards easing tensions in inter-Korean relations and resolving problems through dialogues remains still . The ministry hopes North Korea to regain stability in the near future and present constructive attitude . '' The North criticized the South Korean government 's decision to allow only a select group of private citizens to visit Pyongyang to pay their respects to Kim Jong Il , whose death was announced last week . Lee 's government 's `` show of enmity '' toward North Korea `` culminated in its act of blocking south Koreans who wanted to visit Pyongyang to mourn the demise of leader Kim Jong Il , '' the statement said . Seoul allowed a group of South Koreans , including a former first lady and a leading businesswoman , to travel to the North earlier this week to express condolences over Kim Jong Il 's death . That move , along with a number of other gestures like expressing condolences to the North Korean people , suggested a slight softening in Lee 's government 's hardline stance toward Pyongyang . The North , though , did not appear to be impressed by those efforts , expressing anger Friday that more South Koreans were n't permitted to visit Pyongyang and that groups were allowed this week to release leaflets near the border criticizing North Korean leaders . It also said that the South 's decision to put its military on alert after Kim Jong Il 's death created `` a war-like atmosphere on the ground and in the seas and air . '' In one of the more vehement passages of saber-rattling rhetoric , the defense commission warned of revenge over these perceived misdeeds . `` The veritable sea of tears shed by the army and people '' of North Korea `` will turn into that of retaliatory fire to burn all the group of traitors to the last one and their wailing into a roar of revenge to smash the stronghold of the puppet forces , '' the statement said . Amid concerns over change in North Korean leadership , a top U.S. diplomat plans to travel to the region early next year in the first such talks since Kim Jong Il 's death , the State Department announced Thursday . Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell will `` discuss a range of important bilateral , regional and global issues '' during his four days in China , South Korea and Japan . The State Department statement specifically mentioned that the `` latest developments related to North Korea '' will be on the agenda .
NEW : Power reportedly transferred to him in October . The government says it wo n't engage with the South Korean government . The comments come after two days of speeches to honor Kim Jong Il . The late dictator 's son Kim Jong Il is being portrayed as the new ` ` supreme leader ''