Military Issues Pile Up... Yoon Replaces National Defense Line Including 2nd Deputy Director of National Security Office

Many Issues Including Corporal Chae Mo Case
Presidential Office Denies "Personnel Changes Due to Staffing Needs"
Appointment of Korea-US Joint Operations Expert

President Yoon Suk-yeol is reportedly considering simultaneously replacing the 2nd Deputy Director and the Defense Secretary, who are responsible for defense and security at the National Security Office, as of the 4th. This personnel change comes amid the expanding controversy over the death of Marine Corporal Chae and the relocation of the bust of General Hong Beom-do. However, the presidential office stated, its position is to appoint experts in combined ROK-US operations regardless of current military issues to ensure the strengthened ROK-US alliance and ROK-US-Japan military cooperation proceed smoothly.

According to ruling party sources on the 4th, President Yoon is considering making personnel changes for Lim Jong-deuk, the 2nd Deputy Director of the National Security Office, and Lim Ki-hoon, the Defense Secretary, either immediately after the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and G20 summit tours scheduled between the 5th and 11th or by early next month at the latest. Some speculate that the simultaneous replacement of the 2nd Deputy Director and Defense Secretary is related to the handling of the case involving Marine Corporal Chae, who died after being swept away by a rapid current while searching for missing persons during the heavy rains in July. This comes amid controversies including the insubordination of Marine Investigation Unit Commander Colonel Park Jung-hoon, who was dismissed during the investigation of Corporal Chae’s death, allegations of presidential office directives, and the public backlash over the relocation of the bust of independence activist General Hong Beom-do.

In fact, a public opinion poll released on the same day by Realmeter, a professional polling agency (for detailed information, refer to the Central Election Poll Deliberation Commission website), showed President Yoon’s approval rating for national governance dropped by 2.2 percentage points from the previous week to 35.4%. Negative evaluations also rose by 1.7% to 61.1%.

However, the presidential office explained, "This personnel change is due to the fact that they have served for over a year" and "it is a personnel adjustment based on personnel needs."

President Yoon Suk-yeol delivers an encouragement speech in front of the USS Kentucky (SSBN-737), an Ohio-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN), which docked at the Busan Naval Operations Base in Nam-gu, Busan on July 19.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

President Yoon is reportedly considering appointing experts in related fields to ensure the smooth implementation of the ROK-US Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG), agreed upon with U.S. President Joe Biden during the state visit to the U.S. in April under the 'Washington Declaration,' and the ROK-US and ROK-US-Japan joint military exercises derived from the ROK-US-Japan summit held last month at Camp David.

In this regard, In Sung-hwan, former Superintendent of the Joint Military Academy (43rd class of the Korea Military Academy), is strongly considered as the successor to Deputy Director Lim. Former Superintendent In is regarded as a leading 'U.S. expert' within the military, having served in the Ministry of National Defense’s U.S. Policy Division, the ROK-US Combined Forces Command Operations Staff, the Combined Forces Command Planning Office, and as the first Korean deputy division commander of the ROK-US Combined Division. Notably, during his tenure as the commander of the 56th Division, he was recognized for his contributions to strengthening the ROK-US alliance and enhancing combined combat capabilities, receiving the Legion of Merit (LOM), the highest award given by the U.S. government to foreign military personnel. He is also known for advocating the strengthening of the United Nations Command’s functions during his active duty as a general. Former Superintendent In is expected to start working at the presidential office from today and will receive a handover of duties from Deputy Director Lim.

Deputy Director Lim, a retired Army Major General, is reportedly undergoing personnel screening as a candidate for the next Deputy Minister of National Defense. Defense Secretary Lim, an active-duty Army Major General, is expected to return to the military during the October military general personnel reshuffle, and Choi Byung-ok (50th class of the Korea Military Academy), Director of Defense Policy at the Ministry of National Defense, is reportedly appointed as his successor. Like former Superintendent In, Director Choi has also served in the Ministry of National Defense’s U.S. Policy Division.

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