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Gen. Jin Young-seung, the newly appointed chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, delivers his inauguration speech in Seoul on November 6. / Source: Yonhap News

The entire lineup of generals serving at South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is expected to be replaced, marking one of the most sweeping personnel overhauls in recent military history.

According to defense officials on November 6, Gen. Jin Young-seung, who recently took office as chairman of the JCS, has ordered a full-scale rotation of all JCS generals as well as colonels and lieutenant colonels who have served for more than two years.

A senior military source said the move was “part of a personnel renewal in the wake of the martial law incident.” Around 40 generals currently assigned to the JCS are expected to be reassigned to the Defense Ministry or their respective service branches.

The reshuffle will proceed in phases: newly promoted lieutenant colonels will be rotated by the end of this month, while colonels and generals will likely be reassigned as early as next month or by January next year.

This continues the broader reform drive under President Lee Jae-myung’s administration, which already retired all seven serving four-star generals who were part of the top military command during the December 3 martial law declaration, in its first general officer appointments in early September.