[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] Direction of Military General Personnel Changes in April (Comprehensive)

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] This month, the military's first half-year general officer personnel reshuffle is anticipated, drawing attention to its scale and timing. Inside and outside the military, it is expected that the reshuffle will focus on general officers at the level of Marine Corps Commanders and Army Corps Commanders.

On the 3rd, a government official stated, "The timing of the military's first half-year general officer personnel reshuffle may be delayed depending on circumstances, but since there are no special issues this year, it is highly likely to proceed normally."

The figures mentioned for this first half-year general officer reshuffle are Kim Do-gyun, Commander of the Capital Defense Command, and Kang Geon-jak, Secretary for Defense Reform.

Commander Kim Do-gyun, who was promoted to Major General last year and took office as Commander of the Capital Defense Command, is a graduate of the 44th class of the Korea Military Academy. When he took office, there were many rumors. There was even controversy over preferential treatment, saying he bypassed the division commander position and went straight to corps commander. The Capital Defense Command has subordinate units such as the 52nd Division, 56th Division, 1st Air Defense Brigade, 1st Security Group, and 35th Special Forces Battalion, making it considered a so-called "powerful position" among corps-level posts.

Commander Kim has never served as a commander after being a regimental commander in a subordinate division of the Capital Defense Command during his colonel days. He has served in the Ministry of National Defense's policy department, as Secretary for Defense Reform at the National Security Office, and as Director of North Korean Policy at the Ministry of National Defense. During his time as Director of North Korean Policy, he was evaluated as having led inter-Korean military talks and the implementation of the September 19 Military Agreement, leading to speculation that he might move to the Blue House in this reshuffle.

On the other hand, Secretary Kang has no field command experience at the corps commander level and may be reassigned as Commander of the Capital Defense Command. Kang Geon-jak, a graduate of the 45th class of the Korea Military Academy, was appointed Secretary for Defense Reform in October last year and promoted to Major General in December of the same year. After being promoted to Brigadier General in January 2018, he served as Director of the National Crisis Management Center from December of that year. Because of this, there is speculation inside and outside the military that Commander Kim and Secretary Kang might swap positions.

Corps commanders who were promoted last December, such as Ahn Byung-seok of the 1st Corps, Jeong Cheol-jae of the 2nd Corps, and Lee Jeong-ung of the Capital Corps, have recently taken office, so it is unlikely they will be reassigned. However, Park Yang-dong, Commander of the 6th Corps who took office in November 2019, and Kim Hyun-jong, Commander of the 5th Corps who took office in May last year, are likely to be reassigned.

Commander Park, commissioned through ROTC class 26, is regarded as an operations expert, having served as Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Operations Control Center, Special Warfare Division Chief, Chief of Staff of the Capital Defense Command, and Director of Civil-Military Operations at the Joint Chiefs of Staff. During his tenure as Director of Civil-Military Operations, he was praised for overseeing the military's overseas dispatch operations and leading safety missions. Notably, he received high marks for leading the 6th Corps, which is to be merged or dissolved under defense reform, without any operational gaps. Because of this, there is speculation he may be reassigned back to the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Additionally, Kim Hyun-jong, Commander of the 5th Corps and former Secretary for Defense Reform at the Blue House, is a graduate of the 44th class of the Korea Military Academy and is known more as a policy expert than a field commander. He has served as Chief of Staff of the 3rd Corps, Director of the Army Headquarters Policy Office, and Commander of the 3rd Division. Therefore, there is a strong possibility he will be assigned to the currently vacant position of Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army. Currently, Army Deputy Chief of Staff Park Joo-kyung is serving as head of the COVID-19 vaccine transport support headquarters, making it difficult for him to assume the position for the time being.

Marine Corps Commander Lee Seung-do's legal term expires on the 13th of this month, making it highly likely that a successor will be appointed. Candidates currently being discussed include Jo Gang-rae, Commander of the 2nd Marine Division (Korea Naval Academy class 41), Seo Heon-won, former Director of Combat Readiness Inspection (Korea Naval Academy class 41), Kim Tae-seong, Commander of the 1st Marine Division (Korea Naval Academy class 42), and Baek Kyung-soon, Deputy Commander of the Marine Corps (Korea Naval Academy class 42).

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