[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] The Background of Seo Wook's Appointment as Minister of National Defense

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] Seo Wook, Chief of Staff of the Army, has been nominated as the new Minister of National Defense. It is the first time in 14 years since former Minister of National Defense Kim Jang-soo was appointed in 2006 that someone has been appointed as Minister of National Defense without going through the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff after serving as Chief of Staff of the Army.

Nominee Seo Wook, a graduate of the 41st class of the Korea Military Academy, is regarded as an operations expert within the Army, having served as commander of the 1st Corps and as director of operations and operations headquarters at the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Born in Gwangju, Jeollanam-do, Seo has followed an elite career path, alternating between frontline unit commander positions and operational roles at the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Combined Forces Command. He is evaluated as a general with outstanding organizational leadership, crisis management skills, and policy and strategic mindset, specializing in operations and joint operations. After being appointed director of operations at the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 2017, he participated throughout the 9.19 Military Agreement process and secured cooperation from the U.S. side to implement the agreement, including the withdrawal of Guard Posts (GPs). He was appointed Chief of Staff of the Army in April last year.

Until now, the Ministry of National Defense has been led by former Minister Song Young-moo (27th class of the Naval Academy) and current Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo (30th class of the Air Force Academy). Since the Navy and Air Force have held the position, it was widely expected that the next Minister of National Defense would be from the Army. In particular, the defense minister replacement was generally expected to be part of a cabinet reshuffle along with Minister Park Neung-hoo of Health and Welfare. However, only a one-point personnel change was made for the Minister of National Defense. The general assessment is that this one-point personnel change was unavoidable due to the resurgence of COVID-19.

Within and outside the military, Seo’s nomination as Minister of National Defense is seen as a groundbreaking personnel decision. He had not been mentioned as a candidate before, and since Seo, from the 41st class of the Korea Military Academy, would be appointed while senior classes are still in office, a large-scale personnel reshuffle in the second half of this year is considered inevitable.

Seo has consistently been regarded as a groundbreaking figure whenever appointed to important posts. When he was appointed Chief of Staff of the Army, it caused a stir as a major general from the 41st class overtook senior officers from the 40th class, who are currently generals. Upon Seo’s appointment as Chief of Staff of the Army, three senior officers?former Chief of Staff Kim Yong-woo from the 39th class, the 40th class general who is commander of the Ground Operations Command, and the deputy commander of the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command?retired. Given the military’s full efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19, there is analysis that continuing such groundbreaking personnel practices might have caused concerns about dispersing military morale.

There is also speculation within and outside the military that a civilian minister under the current administration may no longer be feasible. A civilian Minister of National Defense was considered right after the inauguration of the Roh Moo-hyun administration but was withdrawn due to North Korea’s nuclear tests. President Moon Jae-in has consistently advocated that "the process of civilianizing the Ministry of National Defense through a civilian Minister of National Defense is absolutely necessary." In his autobiography, “The Republic of Korea Asks?A Completely New Country, Moon Jae-in Answers,” President Moon pointed out, "All previous Ministers of National Defense in our country have been military officers. Only once, after the April 19 Revolution, was there a civilian Minister of National Defense in a democratic government cabinet, but it ended shortly due to the May 16 coup, and since then, the position has always been held by military officers."

Seo faces many challenges to resolve. He must immediately accelerate the transfer of wartime operational control within the Moon administration. It is reported that South Korea and the U.S. have differences over verification standards regarding the transfer. There are concerns that the transfer process will be delayed because the Full Operational Capability (FOC) verification of the future Combined Forces Command may not be properly conducted during the joint exercises in the second half of this year. Additionally, he will have to tackle major issues such as Defense Reform 2.0, military diplomacy related to defense cost-sharing, and the relocation of Yongsan Garrison and the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command.

In particular, the cooperation of the Army, which will be most affected by troop reductions and military structural reforms under the defense reform, is absolutely crucial. The standing force will decrease from 555,000 at the end of this year to 500,000 by 2022. Corps will be reduced from eight to six by 2022, and divisions will decrease from 38 to 33 by 2025. The Army is the branch most impacted by the defense reform.

Meanwhile, the government is expected to carry out follow-up general officer personnel appointments early next month, including the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Chief of Staff of the Army. Names such as Nam Young-shin (23rd class of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps), commander of the Ground Operations Command, are being mentioned for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and promotion and appointment of officers from the 42nd class of the Korea Military Academy are anticipated for the next Chief of Staff of the Army.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.