Boo Suk-jong (; born 8 January 1964) is a former South Korean

Navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

who served as its

Chief of Naval Operations The chief of naval operations (CNO) is the highest-ranking officer of the United States Navy. The position is a statutory office () held by an Admiral (United States), admiral who is a military adviser and deputy to the United States Secretary ...

under President

Moon Jae-in Moon Jae-in (, ; born January 24, 1953) is a South Korean politician and former lawyer who served as the 12th president of South Korea from 2017 to 2022. Before his presidency, he served as the senior secretary for civil affairs and the Chief ...

from 2020 to 2021. He is the first

Jeju Island Jeju Island (Jeju language, Jeju/) is South Korea's largest island, covering an area of , which is 1.83% of the total area of the country. Alongside outlying islands, it is part of Jeju Province and makes up the majority of the province. The i ...

native to lead the Navy. Before being promoted to the head of Navy in 2020, Boo had served at

Joint Chiefs of Staff The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is the body of the most senior uniformed leaders within the United States Department of Defense, which advises the president of the United States, the secretary of defense, the Homeland Security Council and ...

as head of its Military Support Center from November 2018.

Military career

He graduated from the

Korea Naval Academy Republic of Korea Naval Academy is a four-year military academy located in Jinhae, South Korea. Established in 1946, it is the oldest of the 3 service academies of Korea. The school educates naval midshipmen for commissioning primarily into the ...

in March 1985, and mostly served his career within the

Republic of Korea Navy The Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN; ), also known as the ROK Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces, South Korean armed forces, responsible for naval and Amphibious warfare, amphibious operations. The South ...

. He completed various courses locally and abroad, having completed a master's degree program on Business Administration at

Kyungnam University Kyungnam University () is a private university in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. The university has six colleges, including Liberal Arts, Natural Sciences, Education, Economics and Commerce, Law and Politics, and Engineering col ...

in 2001, and completed staff courses at the Malaysian Armed Forces Command and Staff College in

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

from 1998 to 1999, and at the

National Defense University National Defence (or Defense) University (or College) may refer to: :''Alphabetical by country'' University * Marshal Fahim National Defense University, Afghanistan * National Defense University (Azerbaijan) * People's Liberation Army National Defe ...

Fort Lesley J. McNair Fort Lesley J. McNair, also historically known as the Washington Arsenal, is a United States Army post located on the tip of Buzzard Point, the peninsula that lies at the confluence of the Potomac River and the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C ...

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in 2005. He was promoted to Sowi in 1986, and was the commanding officer of the ROKS Wang Geon (DDH-978) in December 2009 to June 2010, where he was promoted to

Commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (India), in India ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ' ...

and served as the Commander of the Cheonghae Unit from June 2010 to January 2011, during which he took part in its rescue mission of MV Samho Jewelry hijacked by

Somali pirates Horn of Africa * Somali Peninsula, a region of East Africa, also known as "The Horn of Africa" * Somalis, an inhabitant or ethnicity associated with Greater Somali Region ** Greater Somalia ** Somali language, a Cushitic language ** Somali culture ...

. He served as the Chief of Staff of the 2nd Fleet in January 2012 to January 2013, and served as the Commander at the 21st Destroyer Task Group from January 2013 to December 2013. He also served as the Commander of the Jeju Naval Base Construction Project Group from December 2013 to November 2015, and also served at the Naval Headquarters at

Gyeryong Gyeryong City (; ) is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in southeastern South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. The incumbent mayor is . The city was created in 2003 after being split from Nonsan. Gyeryongdae, a large military com ...

, where he served at the Office of DCNO for both Intelligence & Operations(N2 / N3). He served as the Commander of the 2nd Fleet from May 2016 to January 2018. He served as the superintendent of his alma mater,

from January 2018 to November 2018, and was appointed as the Chief Director of the Joint Staff Military Support Center from November 2018 to April 2020, before being named as the

in April 2020.

Effective dates of promotion

Awards

Order of National Security Merit The Order of National Security Merit (Hangul: 보국훈장) is one of South Korea's orders of merit. It is awarded by the President of South Korea for "outstanding meritorious services in the interest of national security." Grades The order ...

by the government of South Korea (2011)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boo, Suk-jong Living people Chiefs of Naval Operations (South Korea) People from Jeju Province 1964 births Korea Naval Academy alumni Kyungnam University alumni