Yoon names new military manpower chief

Kim Jong-cheol, the deputy chief of the Presidential Security Service, speaks during the House Steering Committee meeting of the National Assembly in November 2022. (Lee Sang-sub/The Korea Herald)

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has approved the appointment of Kim Jong-cheol, the incumbent deputy chief of the Presidential Security Service, as the new commissioner of the Military Manpower Administration as of Monday, Yoon's office announced on Sunday.

Kim becomes the second head of the governmental body responsible for conscription, call-ups, and other military administration under the Yoon presidency.

According to the presidential office, Kim is described as a "military administration and military expert" who served as the director of operations planning at the Joint Chiefs of Staff and as president of the Korea National Defense University during his 30 years of military service.

Kim enrolled in the Korea Military Academy in 1984 and ascended to the rank of two-star Army major general before his departure in 2021.

Kim also "meticulously handled the restructuring of security protocols following the relocation of the presidential office to Yongsan and collaboration with relevant agencies such as the Defense Ministry and the JCS as the deputy chief of the Presidential Security Service."

Kim was scheduled to hold an inauguration ceremony on Monday, marking the culmination of his two-year role as the deputy chief, which commenced in May 2022 with the inauguration of the Yoon government.

By Ji Da-gyum(dagyumji@heraldcorp.com)