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| ▲ Naval Operations Commander Vice Adm. Kim Myung-Soo, who was appointed as the new Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is seen in this photo provided by the Ministry of National Defense on Oct. 29, 2023. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
(LEAD) JCS chairman-appointment
(LEAD) Naval Operations Commander Vice Adm. Kim Myung-soo named as new JCS chairman
(ATTN: REVISES lead; UPDATES with more details, background in paras 4-9)
SEOUL, Oct. 29 (Yonhap) -- Naval Operations Commander Vice Adm. Kim Myung-soo has been named as the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), the defense ministry said Sunday, which would make him the top-ranking military officer from the Navy for the first time in a decade if confirmed.
Kim was promoted to four-star general in the latest military personnel reshuffle to replace the incumbent JCS Chairman Gen. Kim Seung-kyum, according to the ministry.
It is the first time in 10 years that a Navy officer has been appointed to the top military post since Adm. Choi Yoon-hee served as the JCS chairman from 2013 to 2015.
His promotion from a three-star general and appointment to the JCS was seen as a surprise reshuffle as it marks the first time since 1994 when South Korea retook the peacetime operational control of its troops from the U.S.-led United Nations Command.
While the JCS chairman post has been predominantly from the Army, Kim is the fifth from a different branch of the military.
His appointment will be subject to a parliamentary confirmation hearing followed by an approval at a Cabinet meeting Monday.
In the major military personnel reshuffle, the second under the Yoon Suk Yeol administration which took office in May 2022, Kim and six other three-star generals were promoted to four-star generals.
Among them are Lt. Gen. Park An-su, Vice. Adm. Yang Yong-mo and Lt. Gen. Lee Young-su, who were named as the chiefs of Army, Navy and Air Force, respectively.
Kang Shin-chul, the head of the JCS operation headquarters, has been appointed as the deputy commander of S. Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command.
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