Kim Sun-ho, Deputy Minister of National Defense, "Efforts to Build an Elite Advanced Military"

Inaugural Address: Supporting the National Goal of a "Global Hub Nation"

Kim Seon-ho, the newly appointed Deputy Minister of National Defense, stated on the 19th, "I will strive to unite our strength and cooperate closely to achieve the defense goal of 'building an elite advanced military force.'"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

At the inauguration ceremony, Deputy Minister Kim said, "I will faithfully perform my duties as Deputy Minister with a heart dedicated to serving our national defense." It has been eight years since a retired general was appointed as Deputy Minister of National Defense, the last being Hwang In-moo (Korea Military Academy Class 35, retired lieutenant general) during the Park Geun-hye administration in 2015.

Regarding the current security situation, Deputy Minister Kim assessed, "It is more complex and severe than ever before," adding, "As North Korea advances its nuclear and missile capabilities, the strategic competition between the United States and China intensifies, the war in Ukraine prolongs, and the outbreak of armed conflict between Israel and Hamas has increased the insecurity of the international community." He emphasized, "Domestically, amid various challenges such as a sharp decline in military service personnel and uncertainty in defense resources, the public demand for promoting a science and technology-strong military is growing. In this situation, the Ministry of National Defense must strive to militarily support the national goal of becoming a 'global pivotal state contributing to freedom, peace, and prosperity.'"

Deputy Minister Kim also pledged to assist Minister Shin Won-sik in △ establishing a comprehensive defense posture △ achieving a leap forward in the ROK-US alliance △ successfully implementing 'Defense Innovation 4.0' (the Yoon Seok-yeol administration’s defense reform plan) △ and fostering a defense culture that meets the expectations of service members.

Deputy Minister Kim is a retired lieutenant general from the 43rd class of the Korea Military Academy and a power planning expert who served as the Capital Defense Command commander during his active duty. His specialty is artillery; he served as commander of the artillery regiment of the 23rd Army Division, deputy commander of the 22nd Division, deputy director of military structure reform at Army Headquarters, commander of the Capital Mechanized Infantry Division, and director of power planning at the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In May 2019, he was promoted to lieutenant general and took command of the Capital Defense Command, which he led competently.

Meanwhile, former Deputy Minister Shin Beom-cheol expressed his farewell remarks on the same day, saying, "Many changes and challenges are simultaneously approaching the Ministry of National Defense, but thanks to your efforts, we are resolving them one by one," and expressed gratitude to the staff he worked with. Former Deputy Minister Shin plans to prepare for his candidacy in the National Assembly general election scheduled for April next year.