This file photo, provided by the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), shows JCS chairman nominee Air Force Lt. Gen. Jin Yong-sung. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Sept. 1 (Korea Bizwire) — Air Force Lt. Gen. Jin Yong-sung has been tapped to lead South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), the defense ministry said Monday, in the first major military reshuffle under the Lee Jae Myung government.
Jin, who has led the Strategic Command as its inaugural chief, was promoted to a four-star general in the high-level military reshuffle to replace JCS Chairman Adm. Kim Myung-soo, according to the ministry.
Jin is subject to a parliamentary confirmation hearing before Lee will formally appoint him.
It marked the first time in five years that an Air Force officer has been named to the top military post since Gen. Won In-choul was tapped as JCS chairman in 2020.
Alongside Jin, the ministry announced the promotion of six other four-star generals, including the chiefs of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force as well as the deputy commander of the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC).
Army Lt. Gen. Kim Gyu-ha, who serves as the missile strategy commander, was named Army chief of staff, while Vice Adm. Kang Dong-gil, chief of the JCS’ directorate of military support, was named chief of naval operations.
Air Force Lt. Gen. Son Sug-rag, who oversees the armed service’s education and training, was appointed Air Force chief of staff and Army Lt. Gen. Kim Sung-min, commander of the 5th Corps, was named CFC deputy commander.
President Lee Jae Myung is set to officially appoint the candidates following an approval at a Cabinet meeting Tuesday, the ministry said.
The sweeping reshuffle is the first such personnel shake-up to take place after ousted former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s failed martial law imposition on Dec. 3. The previous reshuffle took place in October 2023, when all seven four-star general posts were replaced.
The ministry said it conducted the latest reshuffle to maintain the military’s firm readiness posture and response capabilities while stabilizing the military organization to one that is trusted by the people.
“Specifically, generals … who have obtained various field experience, excellent combat capabilities and are deeply trusted for their operational command capabilities have been chosen amid North Korea’s continued missile threats and the unstable international security situation,” it added.
Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back, who took office as Lee’s first defense minister and as the first civilian defense chief in 64 years, has vowed to rebuild the military into one trusted by the people and carry out powerful defense reform.
(Yonhap)
