Ministry of National Defense "Pursuing Elevation of Vice Minister's Protocol Ranking from 9th to 2nd"

Vice Minister Ranked Lower Than Key Commanders
"Legacy of Military Regimes" Continues to Be Criticized

The Ministry of National Defense is considering a plan to elevate the protocol ranking of the Vice Minister, currently ranked ninth within the military, to second place.

At a regular briefing on January 15, Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Jeong Bitna responded to related questions by stating, "In the event the Minister is unable to fulfill their duties, the Vice Minister is supposed to command and supervise the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Chiefs of Staff of each service branch, who make up the top military leadership. However, since the military protocol order does not reflect this reality, there have been longstanding controversies regarding the reversal of protocol rankings." She made these remarks while explaining the current review.

Spokesperson Jeong added, "It is still at the internal review stage," and continued, "We plan to proceed through consultations with relevant ministries and a legislative notice in the future."

Yonhap News Agency

According to the current Presidential Decree on Military Protocol, the protocol ranking within the Ministry of National Defense is as follows: 1st, the Minister; 2nd, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; 3rd, the Army Chief of Staff (General); 4th, the Navy Chief of Staff (Admiral); 5th, the Air Force Chief of Staff (General); 6th, the Deputy Commander of the ROK-US Combined Forces Command (General); 7th, the Commander of the Second Operations Command (General); 8th, the Commander of the Ground Operations Command (General); and 9th, the Vice Minister. This means that the Vice Minister, who acts on behalf of the Minister in their absence, is ranked lower than major commanders.

The prevailing view is that this controversy over protocol ranking reversals is a legacy from the era of military regimes. The protocol order, which used to be Minister, Vice Minister, then General, was reversed in 1980 when Prime Ministerial Directive No. 157, "Guidelines for Protocol and Courtesy for Military Personnel," was established. This was during the period when the new military regime, which had staged the December 12, 1979 military coup (12·12 Military Coup), was in power.

It is also known that the Joint Civil-Military Advisory Committee for Overcoming Internal Strife and Designing Future National Defense has expressed the need for such a change in protocol ranking. A Ministry of National Defense official stated, "We are pursuing the elevation of the Vice Minister's protocol ranking to immediately follow the Minister, in line with the Vice Minister's authority and responsibilities," and added, "The Ministry of National Defense will proceed with the revision of related laws and presidential decrees in accordance with procedures, such as legislative notice and collecting opinions from relevant ministries."