North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has expressed his condolences to an iconic military official who died of lung cancer this weekend, saying his death is a great loss to the party and the army, Pyongyang's media said Monday.

The North's leader on Sunday visited the mortuary of Ri Ul-sol, marshal of the Korean People's Army, who passed away at the age of 94 on Saturday, according to the Korean Central News Agency.

North Korea plans to hold a state funeral for him on Wednesday.

The KCNA said that Kim paid tribute to Ri "in bitter grief over the death of a veteran" loyal to the Workers' Party of Korea.

Ri was an anti-Japanese guerrilla in the first half of the 20th century and worked with the North's late founder Kim Il-sung, the grandfather of the current leader.

He also assumed a number of key posts in the KPA and gained the title of marshal of the North's military in 1995. But his influence had fallen markedly since Kim took power in late 2011 following the sudden death of his father Kim Jong-il.

The KCNA said that Kim met with Ri's family members, expressing his "deep sympathy and consolation."

North Korea has announced the composition of the funeral committee, which consists of some 170 officials, to be led by the North's leader.

But the list did not include Choe Ryong-hae, secretary of the WPK, spawning speculation over his fate. Choe visited Beijing in September to attend a military parade as Kim's special envoy.

The Unification Ministry said that it is analyzing the list to see if there is any change in the North's power rankings while leaving various possibilities open.

"Given the North's track record, it is unusual that a North Korean official such as Choe was not on the list," ministry spokesman Jeong Joon-hee, said at a regular press briefing, without elaborating.

Cheong Seong-chang, a senior researcher at the Sejong Institute, said that the absence of Choe's name on the list means that he might have been ousted from the party's key post. (Yonhap)