Kim Jong-chul, former unmanned systems Director General at the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, is seen as the leading candidate to become CEO of Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI).
According to the defense industry on the 24th, KAI plans to convene a board meeting on the 25th to table an agenda item to elect Kim, the former Director General, as the new CEO. If the item is approved and Kim, the former Director General, is appointed as the new CEO, KAI will have a new chief about eight months after former CEO Kang Gu-young resigned. Kang resigned in Jul. last year.
Kim, the former Director General, is a former Air Force officer. A graduate of the 31st class of the Air Force Academy, Kim served as an Air Force officer for about 23 years. Joining the Defense Acquisition Program Administration in 2006 through a level-4 special recruitment, Kim, the former Director General, built a career as head of the defense export support team, deputy head of the strategic planning group, and head of the program operations management team. Kim later served as head of the command and reconnaissance program division and head of the unmanned systems program division.
Kim, the former Director General, is known as a founding member of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration alongside Lee Yong-chul, the agency's chief.