Seventeen Top Notch Military Officers Newly Appointed

The government conducted an annual reshuffle and promoted 17 military generals, including the appointment of Kim Tae-young (Korea Military Academy Class of 29) as new chief of the Capital Defense Command (CDC) and Bak Kun-ki (Korea Military Academy Class of 29), the president of the Army College, as a lieutenant general and head of the Special Warfare Command.

Also, Jung Dong-han (Korea Military Academy Class of 29), chief of the Office of Intelligence, Operations, Jo Jae-to (ROTC Class of 9), chief of the Office of Logistics, and Yang Won-mo (Korea Third Military Academy Class of 2), director general for Logistic Management Affairs of the Ministry of National Defense, and three other military officers were appointed to the positions as well.

Twelve other officers, including Kang Dae-young (Korea Military Academy Class of 31), director general for Planning and Coordination, were promoted from brigadier general to major general. Of the newly appointed major generals, eight of them were from the Class of 31 of the Korea Military Academy.

Of the five newly appointed lieutenant generals, one is from Seoul, two from Youngnam, and two from Honam area. In the case of the major generals, four are from the Seoul, Gyeonggi area, three from Youngnam, three from Honam, and two from Chungchung area.

The Ministry of National Defense also appointed Kam Kwan-jin (Korea Military Class of 28) as the chief operation director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Park Seung-chun (Korea Military Academy Class of 28) as Troop Information and Public Affairs officer, Lee Sang-gae (Korea Military Academy Class of 28) as chief of Education, and Park Jong-dal (Korea Military Academy Class of 29) as the president of the Korea Third Military Academy.

A huge reshuffle of the U.S. negotiating team was inevitable due to the discharge of Cha Young-goo, the former director of the FOTA (Future of the ROK-U.S. Alliance Policy Initiative), and the promotion of Kim Tae-young, director general at the ministry’s International Defense Policy Bureau.

Also, as Lt. Gen. Kim Jang-soo of the Korea Military Academy’s Class of 27 was promoted as the chief of ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC) on May 25, and an officer from the Class of 29 was first promoted as a lieutenant general, it is expected that lieutenant generals from the Class of 26 will go through a reshuffle of transfer as well.

Ho-Won Choi bestiger@donga.com