[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] Direction of Successor Appointment for Nominee Nam Young-shin

The first commander Nam Young-shin at the establishment of the Military Security Support Command

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] Nam Young-shin, the nominee who became the first Army Chief of Staff from the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) in the history of the founding of the army, graduated from Ulsan Hakseong High School and Dong-A University and was commissioned as an ROTC officer. He is one of the seven generals in military history who rose to the rank of general from the ROTC.

When Nam was a brigadier general, he served as commander of the 7th Airborne Special Forces Brigade of the Army Special Warfare Command (Special Forces), director of mobilization forces at the 2nd Operations Command, and head of the faculty at the Central Military Academy for Students. After being promoted to major general, he served as commander of the 3rd Division. Unusually, he was promoted directly to lieutenant general without going through a second major general position, and in September 2017, he was appointed commander of the Army Special Warfare Command, rapidly advancing under the Moon Jae-in administration. It is evaluated that this aligns with the government policy that has distanced itself from graduates of the Korea Military Academy (KMA). Regarding the Army Chiefs of Staff, from the 1st to the 18th, they were from the Military English School and former Japanese army, and even after the KMA was established, from the 19th, former Chief Seo Jong-cheol (KMA class 1) to the 48th immediately before, the position was continuously held by KMA graduates.

In August 2018, when the controversy over the martial law documents of the Defense Security Command (DSC) arose, Nam was reassigned as commander of the DSC, about a year after taking command of the Special Warfare Command. He then led the dissolution of the DSC and established a new organization. He is evaluated to have carried out the task of dissolving the DSC and creating a new unit smoothly, and in April 2019, he was promoted to general and appointed commander of the Joint Special Operations Command.

Nam’s recent appointment is seen as an extension of the bold military leadership personnel changes made by the current government. Nam has no experience working at the Ministry of National Defense or the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The appointment of Air Force Chief of Staff Won In-chul as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the end of last month was also an unexpected personnel decision. Won, a graduate of the Air Force Academy class 32, is one class senior to Defense Minister Seo Wook, a graduate of KMA class 41.

There is also interest in how much the culture and personnel system that has favored KMA graduates for over half a century will change with this appointment. Currently, the Army promotion personnel system sets a predetermined number of vacancies for KMA and non-KMA graduates in advance. Since the number of vacancies differs by origin and specialty, the results after Nam’s appointment are being closely watched.

With Nam’s rise to Army Chief of Staff, it is highly likely that Kim Sung-il, president of the National Defense University, An Young-ho, director of operations at the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Jung Jin-kyung, superintendent of the Korea Army Academy, all from KMA class 42, who are one year junior, will be excluded from promotion to general. However, they may extend their current posts through personnel assignments until next year.

Meanwhile, Air Force Chief of Staff nominee Lee Sung-yong is the top expert in the Air Force’s power sector, having served as head of the Planning and Management Staff at Air Force Headquarters, commander of the 10th Fighter Wing, head of the Command and Reconnaissance Project Department at the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, and director of power requirements at Air Force Headquarters.

These nominees will be appointed by President Moon Jae-in, the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, after approval at the Cabinet meeting on the 22nd.