Kang Eun-ho, Director of Defense Acquisition Program Administration, Applied for Director of Agency for Defense Development, Returning to His Original Post

Kang Eun-ho, former Deputy Administrator, appointed as Administrator of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration

Kang Eun-ho (54), a former deputy director who has held key positions throughout the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), has been appointed as the head of DAPA. Although he stepped down from DAPA earlier last month and was expected to move to the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) as its director, he soon returned to his original post.

According to DAPA on the 23rd, Kang, who entered public service through the 33rd Administrative Examination, has been with DAPA since its establishment in 2006. Having experienced various departments, he is regarded as having abundant expertise and ideas. He has served as head of the Guided Weapons Business Department, Defense Technology Control Officer, Planning and Coordination Officer, Command and Reconnaissance Business Department Head, and Infrastructure Power Business Headquarters Head at DAPA, and was promoted to deputy director, the second-in-command at DAPA, at the end of last December.

Less than a year after his promotion to deputy director, Kang suddenly submitted his resignation earlier last month, sparking rumors that he would apply for the ADD director position. Kang did submit an application for the ADD director role and was considered a strong candidate for the next director. Officials from the Ministry of National Defense and DAPA had predicted that he would be effectively selected as the ADD director.

When the Ministry of National Defense announced the recruitment for the ADD director position, it newly included "senior public officials of DAPA" in the eligibility criteria, leading to speculation that this administrative measure was intended with Kang in mind. Kang underwent a screening process for employment at ADD last week. There were even suspicions that the official document requesting submission of materials to the Public Service Ethics Committee for the employment screening omitted the period during which he served as the person responsible for business management at DAPA.

Controversies continued from before Kang applied for the ADD director position through the employment screening for retired public officials. Some speculate that his return to DAPA instead of ADD was influenced by these controversies.

Meanwhile, with Kang appointed as the head of DAPA, Kang Tae-won, the current ADD deputy director who competed with him, is likely to be promoted to director. The two were shortlisted as candidates for the next ADD director.

▲ 33rd Administrative Examination ▲ Wansan High School, Jeonju ▲ Yonsei University, Department of Public Administration ▲ Head of Command and Reconnaissance Business Department, DAPA ▲ Head of Business Management Headquarters, DAPA ▲ Head of Infrastructure Power Business Headquarters, DAPA ▲ Deputy Director, DAPA

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