President Lee Jae-myung appointed Kim Byung-joo, a member of the Democratic Party, as the new Defense Policy Advisor on October 1. Kim is a former two-term lawmaker and a retired Army general who previously served as the Deputy Commander of the U.S.-South Korea Combined Forces Command.
Born in February 1962 in Yecheon, North Gyeongsang Province, Kim graduated from Gangneung High School and is a member of the Army Academy Class of 40. He holds a master's degree in business administration from Chonnam National University and a Ph.D. in diplomacy and security studies from Kyonggi University.
In his military career, Kim held key command positions, including Commander of the 30th Mechanized Infantry Division, Missile Command, and the 3rd Army Corps. He retired as a four-star general in 2019 after serving as the Deputy Commander of the U.S.-South Korea Combined Forces Command. He is recognized as a defense expert with extensive experience in field command and U.S.-South Korea joint defense.
Kim entered politics ahead of the 2020 general elections as a recruited talent by the Democratic Party. He was elected to the National Assembly as a proportional representative of the Democratic Citizen Party that same year and successfully won re-election in 2024 for the 22nd National Assembly from the Namyangju-eul district.
In the National Assembly, he has continued his legislative activities in defense and security, currently serving as the Secretary of the National Defense Committee and Chair of the Democratic Party's Special Committee on Defense Industry.
Seong Gi-hong, Chief of Public Relations and Communication at the Blue House, introduced Kim as a defense policy expert with a background as a four-star general, stating that he is well-suited to reflect the voices of the people on national security and defense reform issues.
△February 1962, Yecheon, North Gyeongsang Province △Gangneung High School △Army Academy Class of 40 △Master's in Business Administration from Chonnam National University △Ph.D. in Diplomacy and Security Studies from Kyonggi University △Commander of the 3rd Army Corps △Deputy Commander of the U.S.-South Korea Combined Forces Command △Member of the 21st and 22nd National Assembly △Secretary of the National Defense Committee △Chair of the Democratic Party's Special Committee on Defense Industry △Defense Policy Advisor to the President
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.