Yoo Yongwon Stresses Need for Swift Appointments by Next Administration
There are growing concerns that the suspension of general officer appointments following the 12·3 Martial Law has led to excessively long tenures for some senior military commanders. Some argue that the new government, which will be formed after the 6·3 presidential election, must act quickly to resolve the personnel backlog through swift appointments.
On May 15, according to data titled "Status of General Officer Commanders' Tenure" submitted by the Ministry of National Defense to Representative Yoo Yongwon of the People Power Party, a member of the National Assembly Defense Committee, the commanders of the Army's 7th, 11th, 36th, and 53rd Divisions have each served for 29 months. This is about 6 to 7 months longer than the average tenure of their predecessors, which was 22 to 23 months.
The tenures of the Army's 5th Corps Commander and 7th Airborne Brigade Commander have also reached 25 months, which is 7 months and 9 months longer, respectively, than the average tenure of previous commanders in these units. In addition, the Army's 2nd Artillery Brigade (17 months), the Navy Logistics Commander (18 months), and the Air Force Operations Commander (18 months) have all seen their tenures extended by 2 to 6 months compared to their predecessors' averages.
The main reason for these extended tenures is the postponed general officer appointments that usually take place in the first half of the year. Typically, the military conducts its first-half general officer appointments in April each year. However, this year, the 12·3 Martial Law and the impeachment crisis of former President Yoon Sukyeol intensified political turmoil, resulting in the appointments not being carried out.
Representative Yoo, a former military affairs journalist, expressed concern that such prolonged tenures could have several negative effects within the military, including ▲ organizational stagnation, ▲ rigidity in the chain of command, and ▲ decreased motivation among junior officers. He stated, "A change in leadership usually creates a sense of tension and alertness within a unit, which can serve as positive motivation. In contrast, long-term tenures for commanders can have the opposite effect." He added, "When a single leadership style is repeated over an extended period, subordinates may develop habitual compliance with orders, which can lead to a decline in discipline and a complacent response to emergencies."
This situation is unlikely to be resolved until after the new government is inaugurated following the 6·3 early presidential election. Since the next president must nominate a new Minister of National Defense and the nominee must undergo a National Assembly confirmation hearing, the tenures of general officer commanders may be extended even further.
Representative Yoo said, "As junior officers eligible for promotion lose hope for advancement and new appointments, they may become content with maintaining the status quo rather than pursuing personal development." He emphasized, "It is necessary to promptly appoint a new Minister of National Defense after the presidential election and take swift action to address the backlog in general officer appointments."
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