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The Ministry of National Defense announces promotions and appointments for Army lieutenant general posts on Nov. 13. / Source: Ministry of National Defense

The government on Thursday announced a sweeping reshuffle of senior military leadership, promoting and appointing 20 commanders to lieutenant general–level posts out of 33 major positions. The lineup includes the largest number of non–Korea Military Academy (KMA) graduates selected in the past decade.

Among them, Maj. Gen. Park Sung-je—commissioned through the four-year ROTC program—was appointed commander of the Special Warfare Command, becoming only the third non-KMA officer ever to lead the elite unit. Maj. Gen. Han Ki-sung, also an ROTC graduate, became the first officer from that track to take command of the Army’s 1st Corps, a key unit responsible for defending the greater Seoul metropolitan area.

In the Army, Han Ki-sung, commander of the 25th Infantry Division (ROTC Class 33), was appointed as commander of the 1st Corps; Jeong Yu-su, commander of the 50th Infantry Division (KMA Class 51), will lead the 2nd Corps; and Lee Sang-ryeol, commander of the Army Combat Training Center (ROTC Class 31), will take command of the 3rd Corps.

Lee Il-yong of the 31st Infantry Division (KMA Class 51) was assigned to the 5th Corps; Choi Sung-jin, director of operations at the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command (KMA Class 49), to the 7th Corps; and Lee Im-su, commander of the 55th Infantry Division (KMA Class 50), was appointed to lead the Capital Corps.

Park Sung-je, who had been serving as acting commander of the Special Warfare Command, was officially appointed its commander, while Maj. Gen. Eo Chang-jun (KMA Class 49) was promoted and named commander of the Capital Defense Command.

Choi Jang-sik, acting director of the Defense Innovation Planning Office (ROTC Class 30) and the presiding officer of the government’s first Armed Forces Day ceremony under President Lee Jae-myung, was appointed Deputy Army Chief of Staff. Kang Hyun-woo, commander of the 15th Infantry Division (KMA Class 50), will serve as director of operations at the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).

In addition, Kwon Hyuk-dong, commander of the 11th Mobile Division (KMA Class 50), was named head of the Missile Strategic Command; Kang Kwan-beom, commander of the 53rd Infantry Division (KMA Class 49), will lead the Army Training & Doctrine Command; Park Chun-sik, chief of staff at the Army Logistics Command (KMA Class 49), becomes its commander; and Kim Jong-mook, commander of the 39th Infantry Division (ROTC Class 32), was appointed chief of staff at the Ground Operations Command.

In the Navy, Kwak Kwang-seop, commander of the 1st Fleet, became Navy Deputy Chief of Staff; Park Gyu-baek, director of combat development at the JCS, was named superintendent of the Naval Academy; and Kang Dong-gu, commander of the Submarine Force, was appointed director of strategic planning at the JCS.

For the Air Force, Kwon Young-min, director of strategic planning at the JCS, was appointed commander of the Air Force Education & Training Command. Kim Jun-ho, director of personnel at the JCS, will head the Defense Intelligence Agency, while Koo Sang-mo, director of policy at the Air Force Headquarters, was appointed director of military support at the JCS.

The Defense Ministry said the reshuffle focused on revitalizing the military’s leadership to rebuild public trust, selecting talent from a wide range of specialties — logistics, personnel, force development — beyond the traditional operations-centered promotion model.

A ministry official said the appointments focused on officers “with a strong sense of duty, responsibility and expertise to faithfully execute the national defense agenda of the people’s government.” The official added that the selections were made to ensure commanders have “the capability and credibility to lead deterrence and defense on the Korean Peninsula under the firm ROK-U.S. alliance amid North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats and global instability.”

The official also emphasized that the military will continue building a “smart, future-ready force” so that service members “can earn the trust and respect of the public and feel pride in their service.”