[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] Emerging Candidates for Deputy Minister of National Defense

by Yang Nakgyu

Published 23 Apr.2022 10:00(KST)

On the 7th, the Ministry of National Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff building in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, where the Ministry of National Defense began full-scale moving preparations. Following the approval of the supplementary budget expenditure plan for relocating the presidential office at the temporary Cabinet meeting held the previous day, the Ministry of National Defense plans to officially sign a contract with a professional moving company as early as today and start relocating offices currently housed in the main building of the headquarters to nearby buildings, including the Joint Chiefs of Staff building and other on- and off-base facilities, by department and division. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] With the nomination of Lee Jong-seop as Minister of National Defense, personnel rumors regarding vice minister-level positions are circulating inside and outside the military. The Ministry of National Defense has two vice minister-level positions: the Vice Minister and the Administrator of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), and various candidates are being discussed based on expertise.

It is known that the transition team is reviewing opinions that DAPA should be abolished since 2018. However, fully absorbing DAPA into the Ministry of National Defense and creating a dual vice minister system with the DAPA Administrator serving as the second Vice Minister would require amending the Government Organization Act, so it is expected to take time.

The dual vice minister system was also publicized by the Ministry of National Defense in 2010. At that time, Minister Kim Tae-young opposed the system, saying "it is difficult to abolish DAPA," while Vice Minister Jang Soo-man advocated for the introduction of the dual vice minister system, leading to significant internal disagreement. Eventually, when former Vice Minister Jang Soo-man moved to become the Administrator of DAPA and reversed his stance by saying "the introduction of the dual vice minister system is not appropriate," the conflict disappeared. Therefore, in the early days of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration, it is highly likely that the Ministry of National Defense Vice Minister and the DAPA Administrator will be appointed separately instead of adopting the dual vice minister system.

For the Ministry of National Defense Vice Minister, Shin Beom-cheol, head of the Center for Foreign and Security Policy at the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade (transition team expert member), is a leading candidate. He also served as the chief secretary of the Foreign and Security Policy Headquarters of the People Power Party’s election campaign. He is a key aide who shaped major issues emphasized by President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol, such as the Korea-US alliance, preemptive strike theory against North Korea, and additional deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system. Notably, he proposed the establishment of a New Security Committee under the Prime Minister’s Office, making it highly likely that he will join the Presidential Secretariat or be appointed as the Ministry of National Defense Vice Minister.

Retired Army Major General Lim Jong-deuk is also mentioned but is likely to be excluded due to his service as the Blue House Defense Secretary during the Moon Jae-in administration. He served as Chief of Staff of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, commander of the 17th Army Division, Blue House administrative officer, and defense advisor at the National Intelligence Service. In 2009, he was the first Korean soldier to study defense policy at the NATO Defense College in Italy.

Park Jin-ho, former aide to the People Power Party’s former National Assembly Defense Committee chairman, is also considered a candidate for Vice Minister. During his presidential campaign, President-elect Yoon pledged to appoint a "minister in their 30s," but this was not realized in the first cabinet. The average age of ministerial candidates was 59.7 years, and the only candidate in their 40s was Han Dong-hoon, nominee for Minister of Justice, aged 49. Previously, there were no young people in their 20s or 30s among the transition team members. In this context, former aide Park Jin-ho is gaining attention.

Park is regarded as a foreign and security policy expert who handled the Defense and Foreign Affairs Committees in the National Assembly. Since 2019, he has served as a member of the Defense Acquisition Program Promotion Committee, demonstrating a high level of understanding of the defense industry. He is a graduate of Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, fluent in English, and has extensive connections with U.S. government officials and research institute personnel. Unusually for an aide, he participated in diplomatic activities alongside lawmakers during his tenure.

For the position of DAPA Administrator, Shin In-ho, director of the Eulji Future Army Science and Technology Research Institute at KAIST (retired Army Major General), is mentioned. He served as the Blue House Crisis Management Secretary during the Park Geun-hye administration. Shin studied and trained at the German Army Officer Academy and is classified as part of the "Doksa faction," a loyal group of former National Security Office chief Kim Kwan-jin. Some speculate that considering his inclusion in the transition team, he could be appointed as the second Vice Minister of the National Security Office.

Cho Sang-jun, former head of the Special Investigations Division 2 at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office and former Defense Acquisition Program Inspector at DAPA, is also mentioned. Cho, a graduate of the 26th class of the Judicial Research and Training Institute, served as head of the Investigation Command Division and Investigation Support Division at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, and as head of the International Criminal Division at the Ministry of Justice’s Prosecutor’s Office. The Defense Acquisition Program Inspector position was newly established in December 2015 as an open director-level post following the government’s announcement of the "Priority Measures to Eradicate Defense Acquisition Corruption" that same year. However, some express concerns that his experience as an outside director of a private company could pose problems during personnel screening. There are also worries that if a former Defense Acquisition Program Inspector is appointed as Administrator, managing DAPA’s projects could become more difficult.

Additionally, Seong Il, former head of the Base Power Project Headquarters at DAPA (43rd class of the Korea Military Academy, retired Major General), and Seo Hyung-jin, Deputy Administrator of DAPA, are mentioned. However, Seo has been evaluated as unfriendly to the media, raising concerns.