A Family of Civilian Employees Serving Three Generations at the Navy’s Home Port in Jinhae

The Family of Administrative Officer Seolha Kim
Devoted to the Advancement of Naval Logistics

In May, the Month of Family, a special family that has dedicated itself to the advancement of naval logistics in Jinhae, the home port of the Navy, for three generations over 76 years, is inspiring those around them with a heartwarming story.

Seolha Kim Administrative Officer Family.

The family in the spotlight is that of Seolha Kim, an Administrative Officer (Grade 8, Ammunition Division) at the Naval Logistics Command (hereafter referred to as the Logistics Command) Ammunition Depot. Beginning with their grandfather, a total of seven family members?including the father, uncles, sisters, and cousins?have served at the Logistics Command, writing a chapter in the history of naval logistics across generations.

The Kim family's love for the Navy began with the late Haedong Kim, who was the Chief of the Maintenance Factory at the Logistics Command.

The late Haedong Kim was appointed to the Republic of Korea Navy in 1949. From the founding of the Navy, through the Korean War, and into the 1980s when the Ulsan-class frigate?built with domestic technology?was commissioned, he was responsible for ship maintenance, a core element of naval combat power, for 37 years, leading the enhancement of the military's maintenance and support capabilities.

Seolha Kim's eldest uncle, Jino Kim (73, resident of Jinhae-gu), third uncle Jingyu Kim (66, resident of Jinhae-gu), and father Jinheon Kim (64, resident of Jinhae-gu) all followed in the footsteps of the late Haedong Kim, serving as civilian employees and steadfastly supporting the Navy's logistics operations in their respective roles.

Jino Kim was appointed as a civilian employee in 1977 and was responsible for the maintenance and repair of various naval vessels at the maintenance factory until 2010. Jingyu Kim served as an ammunition civilian employee from 1983 to 2017, managing ammunition for surface, underwater, and aerial forces.

Seolha Kim's father, Jinheon Kim, was also appointed as a naval civilian employee in 1990 and worked for 30 years at the Logistics Command Ammunition Depot as a team member responsible for the maintenance and support of guided and underwater weapons, helping combat units to fully demonstrate their combat power.

The deep affection for the Navy that began with the late Haedong Kim has been passed down through the father and uncle's generation and now continues with Seolha Kim, her sister, and her cousin.

Seolha Kim and her sister, Minji Kim (Contract Grade 8, Ammunition Division), are following in the footsteps of their father, Jinheon Kim, working at the Logistics Command Ammunition Depot. Their cousin, Boyeon Kim (Grade 7, Ammunition Division), is also following her father, Jingyu Kim, in her career as an ammunition civilian employee.

They explained, "Growing up in Jinhae, hearing the sirens of departing ships and seeing our father's oil-stained maintenance uniforms from a young age, the Navy and the role of a civilian employee naturally became our future."

In particular, Seolha Kim recalled, "Watching ammunition and guided missiles being maintained and managed, and seeing them loaded and unloaded onto ships and aircraft?the very embodiment of advanced technology?made the role of an ammunition civilian employee something to admire, and it became the turning point that inspired me to pursue a career in the Navy."