Image copyright Google Earth

A propaganda slogan extolling the virtues of North Korea's new leader has been built on a hillside in 65 ft (20m)-high characters.

The message, which stretches for more than 1,800 ft (548m), reads "Long Live General Kim Jong-un, the Shining Sun!".

Constructed next to a reservoir in Ryanggang Province, the tribute is visible on satellite images.

Kim Jong-un took over as leader of North Korea after his father Kim Jong-il died in December 2011.

Soon after his appointment he was lauded as the "Great Successor" and "a great person born of heaven", echoing the personality cults that were built up around his father and grandfather.

As with his predecessors, North Korean state media has portrayed Kim Jong-un as a young man with extraordinary capabilities.

Earlier this year, it reported how he had guided the flight training of pilots and taught the country's military band to play.

South Korean newspaper The Chosunilbo said this latest tribute to the secretive country's leader follows a tradition set by his father and grandfather.

Apparently the practice dates back to the 1970s, when slogans praising North Korea's founder Kim Il-sung and his son Kim Jong-il were carved into a famous mountain.

The leaders were said to have said it was important to let future generations know what great leaders their ancestors served.