Yoon Appoints Kim Yong-hyun as New Defense Minister... Shin Won-sik Named National Security Office Chief

Director Jang Hojin Appointed as the First Special Advisor for Foreign Affairs and Security

Kim Yong-hyun, the newly nominated Minister of National Defense and Chief of the Presidential Security Service, is attending a personnel briefing held at the Yongsan Presidential Office building in Seoul on the 12th, listening to the announcement by Jeong Jin-seok, Chief of Staff to the President. [Image source=Yonhap News]

President Yoon Suk-yeol on the 12th nominated Kim Yong-hyun, the head of the Presidential Security Service, as the new Minister of National Defense candidate.

Additionally, Shin Won-sik, the current Minister of National Defense, was appointed as the Director of the National Security Office, and Jang Ho-jin, the Director of the National Security Office, was designated as the newly established Special Advisor for Foreign and Security Affairs.

Jung Jin-seok, the Chief of Staff to the President, held a briefing at the Yongsan Presidential Office in the afternoon to announce these personnel appointments.

Jung said of candidate Kim, "He is an expert in national defense and security who has held key military positions such as the Capital Defense Command and the Joint Chiefs of Staff Operations Headquarters," adding, "He is highly respected both inside and outside the military for his rational and self-sacrificing leadership style."

He further explained, "As the first head of the Presidential Security Service under our government, he understands the intentions of the military commander-in-chief better than anyone else, making him the right choice for Minister of National Defense."

On the morning of the 8th, at the National Assembly National Defense Committee plenary meeting, Minister of National Defense Shin Won-sik is responding to questions from lawmakers. [Image source=Yonhap News]

President Yoon appointed Shin Won-sik, the Minister of National Defense, as the Director of the National Security Office.

Jung introduced him, saying, "He is a three-star general with over 30 years of military service, having served as the Capital Defense Command commander, Deputy Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and a member of the National Assembly, and is currently serving as the Minister of National Defense," adding, "He possesses extensive field experience and insight in national defense and security, making him the right person to assist the President in taking responsibility for national security."

President Yoon decided to establish the position of Special Advisor for Foreign and Security Affairs to oversee strategic tasks related to core national interests, and appointed Jang Woo-jin, the Director of the National Security Office, as the inaugural Special Advisor for Foreign and Security Affairs.

Jung said, "Special Advisor Jang Ho-jin is not only an expert on North Korea?U.S. relations but also a seasoned diplomat well-versed in the diplomacy of the four major powers including North Korea’s nuclear issue and Russia," adding, "Having consecutively served as the first Russian ambassador, the first vice minister of foreign affairs, and the director of the National Security Office under our government, he has achieved various diplomatic successes and is deemed the right person to continue assisting the President on international affairs and foreign and security policies."

Jang Hojin, appointed as Special Advisor for Foreign Affairs and Security, Director of the National Security Office [Image source=Yonhap News]

President Yoon nominated Ahn Chang-ho, former Constitutional Court justice, as the candidate for Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission.

Candidate Ahn served as a justice of the Constitutional Court for six years from 2012 to 2018 and worked in the Human Rights Division of the Ministry of Justice during his time as a prosecutor.

Jung said, "Even during his tenure as a Constitutional Court justice, he voiced principled opinions for socially vulnerable groups," adding, "With his deep understanding of human rights and extensive knowledge of the constitution and international human rights norms, he is the right person to enhance the level of human rights in the Republic of Korea."