The government implemented personnel appointments for generals below the rank of major general on January 9. This personnel appointment includes the promotion and assignment of major generals and brigadier generals. A total of 41 officers, including 27 army brigadier generals such as Park Min-young, 7 navy brigadier generals such as Ko Seung-beom, 1 marine brigadier general Park Sung-soon, and 6 air force brigadier generals such as Kim Yong-jae, were promoted to major general and appointed to key combat unit commanders and staff positions at each military headquarters. Additionally, 77 officers, including 53 army colonels such as Min Kyu-deok, 10 navy colonels such as Park Gil-seon, 3 marine colonels such as Hyun Woo-sik, and 11 air force colonels such as Kim Tae-hyun, were promoted to brigadier general and will be appointed to key positions.
This personnel appointment focuses on selecting outstanding individuals who can create a military that is loyal to the constitution and the people, dedicated to their duties, and filled with a sense of mission. It also considers the ability to lead the defense of the Korean Peninsula amidst North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats and the unstable international security situation, and to achieve firm military readiness and future combat power development goals. To lay the foundation for rebuilding the people’s military, individuals from various fields were selected regardless of their background, branch, or specialty.
As a result, the proportion of non-Korea Military Academy graduates among army major generals increased from 20% to 41%, and among army brigadier generals from 25% to 43%. The proportion of non-pilot branches among air force brigadier generals increased from 25% to 45%. The number of female generals selected was the highest since the first female general promotion in 2002, with five female generals (one major general and four brigadier generals) being selected.
Notable individuals among the major general promotees include Army Major General Ye Min-cheol, an engineer branch officer, Air Force Major General Kim Heon-jung, a rear-seat fighter pilot, and Marine Corps Major General Park Sung-soon, an armor branch officer. Among the brigadier general promotees, notable individuals include Colonel Lee Chung-hee, who was commissioned as an officer from the rank of enlisted or non-commissioned officer, Colonel Park Jung-hoon, who investigated the death of Marine Chae as the head of the Marine Corps Investigation Unit, and Colonel Kim Moon-sang, who was the operations officer of the Capital Defense Command during martial law.