Vice Adm. Kim Kyung-ryul has been chosen as the new chief of the South Korean Navy, the Defense Ministry said Tuesday.
Kim is expected to be promoted to admiral and formally appointed as Navy chief, pending approval at a Cabinet meeting and appointment by President Lee Jae Myung, the ministry said.
Born in 1970, Kim is a graduate of the Korea Naval Academy’s 47th class and was commissioned as an ensign in 1993.
He has held a series of key posts, including superintendent of the Korea Naval Academy, commander of the Navy’s 3rd Fleet, head of the 5th Mine Countermeasures and Amphibious Flotilla, personnel chief at the South Korea-US Combined Forces Command, and director of defense policy at the Defense Ministry.
The move comes 19 days after former Navy Chief of Staff Adm. Kang Dong-gil stepped down following disciplinary action over his alleged involvement in former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s Dec. 3, 2024, martial law declaration.
Kang, who was appointed Navy chief following the launch of the Lee Jae Myung administration in September last year, was later suspended after it was revealed he had been involved in forming the martial law command while serving as the head of military support at the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
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