In the first military general personnel appointment carried out on the 1st by the Lee Jae-myung government, all seven four-star generals, including the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), were replaced.
The Ministry of National Defense announced that it has designated seven senior military personnel, including the Chairman of the JCS and the chiefs of staff from each branch of the military and the deputy commander of the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command. First, Chin Young, the commander of the strategic command (Air Force lieutenant general; 39th class of the Air Force Academy), has been appointed as the current ranking active-duty military officer as the Chairman of the JCS. This marks the first time in approximately five years that an Air Force officer has been designated as Chairman of the JCS since the former chairman, Won In-cheol, in September 2020.
For the Army Chief of Staff, Kim Gyu-ha, the commander of the missile strategy command (Army lieutenant general; 47th class of the Army Academy), has been appointed. For the Navy Chief of Staff, Kang Dong-gil, the director of JCS military support (Navy lieutenant general; 46th class of the Naval Academy), has been appointed. For the Air Force Chief of Staff, Son Seok-rak, the Air Force training commander (Air Force lieutenant general; 40th class of the Air Force Academy), has been appointed.
For the deputy commander of the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command, Kim Sung-min, the 5th Army Corps commander (Army lieutenant general; 48th class of the Army Academy), is expected to be appointed. For the Ground Operations Commander, Joo Seong-woon, the 1st Army Corps commander (Army lieutenant general; 48th class of the Army Academy), is expected to be appointed. For the second operations commander, Kim Ho-bok, the deputy commander of the Ground Operations Command (Army lieutenant general; 27th class of the Army Academy), is expected to be appointed.
In this appointment, all seven four-star general positions were filled by individuals promoted from major general to lieutenant general. Previously, during the Yoon Suk-yeol administration in October 2023, all seven four-star generals were also replaced, and at that time, the promoted lieutenant generals filled the four-star general positions.
The six four-star general positions, excluding the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who is subject to a National Assembly confirmation hearing, are expected to be appointed on the 2nd after a decision by the Cabinet meeting.
A Ministry of National Defense official said, "We have selected generals who possess various field experiences or are well-respected within the military and noted that we will maintain military readiness and response capabilities and stabilize the military early to fulfill our role as a trusted military for the people."