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| Army Gen. Kim Seung-kyum / Korea Times file |
Army Gen. Kim Seung-kyum, the deputy commander of the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC), was named to lead the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), the defense ministry said Wednesday, in the first reshuffle of top military officers since the launch of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration.
The shake-up that affected seven four-star posts was announced just hours after North Korea's launch of three ballistic missiles into the East Sea.
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| Lt. Gen. Park Jeong-hwan / Courtesy of Ministry of National Defense |
The general will assume the post if he survives a confirmation process at the National Assembly. It has yet to set the date for the hearing, although lawmakers' formal approval for the pick is not required under a relevant law.
Commissioned as second lieutenant in 1986, Kim has served in various key military posts, including the vice Army chief of staff and the head of the 3rd Corps.
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| Vice Adm. Lee Jong-ho / Courtesy of Ministry of National Defense |
"On the occasion of this reshuffle, we will focus on constructing a strong military based on science and technology that will undergird freedom, peace and prosperity, while maintaining a firm readiness posture," a ministry official told reporters.
Lt. Gen. Park Jeong-hwan, the vice JCS chief, was named the new Army chief of staff while Lt. Gen. Ahn Byung-seok, the vice Army chief of staff, was picked for the deputy CFC commander post.
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| Lt. Gen. Jung Sang-hwa / Courtesy of Ministry of National Defense |
Lt. Gen. Jeon Dong-jin, the JCS operations division chief, was tapped as the new Ground Operations Command chief, while Lt. Gen. Shin Hee-hyun, the head of the Army's 3rd Corps, was picked for the 2nd Operations Command chief.
All of the currently three-star officers will be promoted to four-star rank to take up their designated posts. (Yonhap)
