Lee Sangryeol, Commander of the 3rd Corps, Nominated as New Army Ground Operations Commander

On April 13, the Ministry of National Defense announced that Lee Sangryeol, the current commander of the 3rd Corps and a non-Korea Military Academy graduate, has been nominated as the new commander of the Army Ground Operations Command.

Lieutenant General Lee is set to be promoted to the rank of General and appointed as the Ground Operations Commander. The appointment is scheduled to be finalized by the President, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, after deliberation at the Cabinet meeting on April 14.

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Born in 1969, the nominee Lee Sangryeol is a graduate of ROTC Class 31 and has served as commander of the 3rd Corps, commander of the Scientific Combat Training Group, commander of the 21st Infantry Division, and commander of the 1st Artillery Brigade. This marks the second time, following General Nam Youngshin (ROTC Class 23) in 2019, that a non-Korea Military Academy graduate has been appointed to lead the Ground Operations Command, a position usually held by Military Academy graduates.

The Ministry of National Defense described Lee as "equipped with the operational command capability and diverse combat training experience necessary to solidify firm military readiness amid the security situation on the Korean Peninsula and an unstable international security environment." The ministry further noted, "He is the optimal candidate, possessing a profound understanding of ground operations and strategic insight, to lead theater operations and strengthen the future capabilities of the Army's ground forces."

Meanwhile, this personnel change comes 60 days after the previous commander, former Ground Operations Commander Joo Sungwoon, was suspended from duty due to allegations of involvement in the 12·3 Martial Law. The Ministry of National Defense stated that it only identified suspicions related to martial law regarding the former commander in February and subsequently took measures to relieve him of his duties.

It was revealed that former commander Joo, who was the 1st Corps commander during the martial law, was tasked with the "Martial Law 2nd Investigation Unit" and had communicated with Gu Samhoe, then Brigadier General and commander of the Army 2nd Armored Brigade, before the martial law declaration while Gu was on leave. This raised suspicions that he may have been aware of the martial law declaration plan in advance.

For the time being, former commander Joo is expected to remain under investigation in the capacity of a policy research officer, without any official position assigned.

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