New chairman of Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff named

Army Gen. Kim Seung-kyum, deputy commander of the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command, was named chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), the Defense Ministry said Wednesday.

Army Gen. Kim Seung-kyum, deputy commander of the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command, is named new chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). [YONHAP]

Army Gen. Kim Seung-kyum, deputy commander of the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command, was named chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), the Defense Ministry said Wednesday.

If appointed, Kim will be the first graduate of the Korea Military Academy to helm the JCS in nine years, since Jeong Seung-jo, JCS chairman from 2011 to 2013 under the Lee Myung-bak administration.

Kim is set to replace Air Force Gen. Won In-choul, an Air Force Academy graduate.

Kim, 59, is an expert in combined and joint operations and is known for his operational command and crisis management skills.

He previously served as a South Korean Army vice chief of staff, commander of the 3rd Corps, JCS joint operations director and president of the Joint Force Military University's Army College.

Kim will have to undergo a National Assembly hearing but parliamentary approval is not required for his appointment.

His nomination comes as the Yoon Suk-yeol administration aims to strengthen the South Korea-U.S. alliance and promises to expand combined military exercises and training on the Korean Peninsula with United States forces. Earlier in the morning, North Korea fired three more ballistic missiles, a move "strongly condemned" by the South Korean government.

Kim was among seven general-level posts announced Wednesday, the first military leadership reshuffle since the launch of the new government.

Ahn Byung-seok, the Army vice chief of staff, will succeed Kim Seung-kyum as deputy commander of the Combined Forces Command.

Lt. Gen. Park Jeong-hwan, JCS vice chairman, was named the Army's chief of staff and Lt. Gen. Jung Sang-hwa, JCS strategic planning division chief, the Air Force chief of staff. Vice Adm. Lee Jong-ho, JCS military support division chief, was tapped as chief of naval operations, just five months after Adm. Kim Jung-soo took the post.

Lt. Gen. Jeon Dong-jin, JCS operations division chief, was tapped as Ground Operations Command chief, and Lt. Gen. Shin Hee-hyun, commander of the Army's 3rd Corps, as chief of the 2nd Operations Command.

The Ministry of National Defense said in a statement, "We prioritized the ability and expertise to systematically and substantively promote major defense policies — such as establishing a strong defense posture, defense innovation and the improvement of defense culture."

A Defense Ministry official told reporters the appointments are meant to "drive defense innovation and establish a stable military command system at an early stage in consideration of the continued North Korean nuclear and missile threat."

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]