Joint Chiefs of Staff Operations Chief Lee Seung-oh and Intelligence Chief Won Cheon-hee Promoted to Lieutenant General...
Lieutenant General Kim Gye-hwan, Commander of the Marine Corps, who is under investigation by the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Division (PCC) regarding allegations of external pressure in the investigation of the death of Marine Corporal Chae, has been retained in his position. Lee Seung-oh, currently serving as the Chief of Operations at the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Won Cheon-hee, Chief of North Korean Intelligence, have been promoted to lieutenant general and appointed as the Chief of Operations and Chief of Intelligence, respectively.
The Ministry of National Defense announced the personnel changes for generals below the rank of lieutenant general for the first half of this year on the 25th.
Commander Kim, who is the subject of the PCC investigation related to the death of Corporal Chae, was expected to be replaced in this personnel reshuffle but was ultimately retained. Considering that the typical term for the Marine Corps Commander is two years, Kim, who took office in December 2022, is expected to be replaced during the general officer personnel changes in the second half of this year. Minister of National Defense Shin Won-sik also hinted at retaining Kim during a press briefing at the end of February, stating that "six months remain in his term."
In this general officer personnel reshuffle, seven Army major generals were promoted to lieutenant general. Along with the new chiefs Lee and Won, Major Generals Son Dae-kwon (Army Logistics Command), Jeong Jin-pal (Army Training Command), Kwon Dae-won (Ground Operations Command Chief of Staff), Seo Jin-ha (Corps Commander), and Park Jae-yeol (Corps Commander) were promoted to three-star generals.
No promotions to lieutenant general occurred in the Navy or Air Force. The number of generals promoted from brigadier general to major general was 14 in the Army and one each in the Navy and Air Force.
The Ministry of National Defense stated, "This personnel reshuffle selected generals with the highest expertise and capabilities in their respective fields to overcome the security challenges posed by North Korea's nuclear and missile threats and to strengthen readiness."
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