Kang Shin-cheol, the newly nominated Defense Minister candidate for the Lee Jae-myung administration, has garnered attention for his extensive background. Kang has held various military and security positions across the administrations of Lee Myung-bak, Park Geun-hye, Moon Jae-in, and Yoon Suk-yeol.
On August 30, President Lee nominated Kang, who is currently the Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, among six other ministerial candidates, including the Minister of Economy and Finance.
Kang Hoon-sik, the Chief of Staff to the President, described Kang as a four-star general with a strong background, having served as the Director of Operations at the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He emphasized that Kang is poised to strengthen South Korea's defense capabilities based on a solid U.S.-South Korea alliance and to promote defense innovation, including the integration of military academies.
Born in Seoul in 1968, Kang graduated from Kyungsung High School and the 46th class of the Korea Military Academy, being commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1990. He has built his military career focusing on operations, strategy, and policy while serving in the Ministry of National Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the U.S.-South Korea Combined Forces Command.
Notably, Kang's career has spanned multiple administrations. He served as an administrative officer in the Blue House during the Lee Myung-bak administration from 2010 to 2011. Under the Park Geun-hye administration, he was a military advisor to then-Defense Minister Han Min-koo from 2016 to 2017.
During the Moon Jae-in administration, Kang returned to the Blue House, serving as the Secretary for Defense Reform and the Secretary for Security and Defense Strategy from 2021 to 2022. He later advanced to the position of Deputy Commander of the Ground Operations Command and was promoted to major general.
After the inauguration of Yoon Suk-yeol, Kang continued to hold key military positions, first as the Director of Operations at the Joint Chiefs of Staff and then as a four-star general, becoming the Deputy Commander of the U.S.-South Korea Combined Forces Command in 2023. He was the only individual promoted to four-star general from the ranks of major general during the Moon Jae-in administration.
The Deputy Commander of the U.S.-South Korea Combined Forces Command is the highest position held by a South Korean military officer within the command. In this role, Kang directly addressed issues related to the U.S.-South Korea alliance and defense posture. He served as Deputy Commander until September of last year before retiring as a four-star general.
Even after leaving military service, Kang continued his public career. The Lee Jae-myung administration appointed him as Ambassador to Saudi Arabia in January, where he has played a pivotal role in fostering defense cooperation.
After approximately seven months as Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Kang is now returning as a candidate for Defense Minister. If confirmed, he will be the second Defense Minister under the Lee Jae-myung administration. President Lee previously appointed Ahn Gyu-baek, a civilian and the first in over 60 years to hold the position, but has now chosen a four-star general with a military academy background for the successor role.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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