Former Minister of National Defense Kim Tae-young passed away on the 26th at the age of 76.
Born in Seoul, Kim graduated from the Korea Military Academy (Class 29) and served as ▲Commander of the 6th Artillery Brigade ▲Commander of the 23rd Division ▲Director of the Policy Planning Bureau at the Ministry of National Defense ▲Commander of the Capital Defense Command ▲Director of Operations at the Joint Chiefs of Staff ▲Commander of the 1st Field Army ▲Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, before being appointed as the 42nd Minister of National Defense in 2009.
▲ Kim Tae-young, Minister of National Defense
He was regarded as a "well-rounded" officer during his active duty. This was due to his extensive experience not only as a field commander but also in diplomacy, strategy, and policy. It is said that his English skills were excellent enough to participate in international meetings without an interpreter.
Afterwards, Kim faced a leadership crisis following the Cheonan ship sinking incident on March 26, 2010, and resigned later that year after the Yeonpyeong Island shelling provocation on November 23. After stepping down as Minister of National Defense, he led the establishment of Hanmin High School, a boarding private high school for children of military personnel, and served as chairman of the Hanmin Foundation (Hanmin High School) from 2011 to 2016.
In addition, he continued his activities as ▲Chairman of the Korean War Memorial Foundation ▲President of the Army Artillery Veterans Association ▲Co-representative of the Republic of Korea Defense Reserve Generals Group.
The funeral is being held at Samsung Seoul Hospital Funeral Hall, with the funeral procession scheduled for March 1.
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