‘First Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman from School District’ General Kim Jin-ho Passes Away
Operational Command by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the First Battle of Yeonpyeong
[The Asia Business Daily, Military Correspondent Yang Nakgyu] Kim Jin-ho, a retired Army General and former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, passed away on September 30. He was 81 years old.
Born in Seoul in 1941, Kim graduated from Paichai High School and the Department of History at Korea University. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1964 through the second class of ROTC, participated in the Vietnam War, and served as the commander of the 37th Infantry Division, Chief of Staff at the Army Education Command, and Commander of the Second Army. From March 1998 to October 1999, he became the first ROTC officer to serve as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
On June 15, 1999, during the First Battle of Yeonpyeong, which involved a naval clash between South and North Korean vessels near the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the West Sea, he commanded operations as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
In his 2014 autobiography, "Soldier Kim Jin-ho," he reported that, based on intercepted North Korean communications during the battle, North Korean casualties amounted to around 130. The proceeds from the sale of his autobiography were donated as encouragement funds to the veterans who participated in the First Battle of Yeonpyeong.
After retirement, Kim, who had stood against North Korean attacks, served as President of Korea Land Corporation in 2001, contributing to inter-Korean economic cooperation by participating in the Kaesong Industrial Complex project. From 2017 until early this year, he served as the 36th President of the Korea Veterans Association.
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He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Shim Kisook, one son, and one daughter. The funeral is being held at the Seoul Asan Medical Center funeral hall. The ceremony will be conducted as a Joint Chiefs of Staff funeral, and he will be laid to rest at the Daejeon National Cemetery.
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