Kim Byung-joo (, born 7 February 1962 in

Yecheon County Yecheon County is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, county in the province of North Gyeongsang, South Korea. It is 661 km2 in area, and in 2004 had a population of 52,311. It has lost over two-third of its inhabitants since the mi ...

) is a South Korean politician and retired

four star General Military star ranking is military terminology, used in mainly English speaking countries, to describe General officer, general and flag officers. Within Member states of NATO, NATO's armed forces, the stars are equal to Ranks and insignia of NATO, ...

in the

Republic of Korea Army The Republic of Korea Army (ROKA; ), also known as the ROK Army or South Korean Army, is the army of South Korea, responsible for ground-based warfare. It is the largest of the military branches of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces with 365,0 ...

. He was the 27th deputy commander of the

ROK/US Combined Forces Command ROK/US Combined Forces Command (CFC) is a joint warfighting headquarters comprising the Republic of Korea Armed Forces and United States Forces Korea. It was established in 1978. During wartime it would serve as the operational command headquart ...

and is a current member of the

Korean National Assembly The National Assembly of the Republic of Korea () is the unicameral national legislature of South Korea. Elections to the National Assembly are held every four years. The latest legislative elections were held on 10 April 2024. The current Na ...

Career

In 1980, he joined the

Korea Military Academy Korea Military Academy (KMA) is the leading South Korean institution for the education and training of officer cadets for the Republic of Korea Army. Along with the Korea Army Academy (Yeongcheon), it produces the largest number of senior offi ...

and served among others as

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

officer in the Korean Army and liaison officer at the

United States Central Command The United States Central Command (USCENTCOM or CENTCOM) is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the United States Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Defense. It was established in 1983, taking over the previous responsibilit ...

. 2017, he became the first four star general in South Korea with a missile command background and at the same time, he assumed command of the ROK/US Combined Forces Command as deputy commander behind

Vincent K. Brooks Vincent Keith Brooks (born 24 October 1958) is a retired United States Army General (United States), general who last commanded United States Forces Korea, United Nations Command, and ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command. He previously served as the ...

. He retired in April 2019. Afterwards, he joined the

Democratic Party of Korea Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

and was elected in

2020 South Korean legislative election Legislative elections were held in South Korea on 15 April 2020. All 300 members of the National Assembly were elected, 253 from first-past-the-post constituencies and 47 from proportional party lists. They were the first elections held under ...

as a proportional representative to the 21st Korean National Assembly, where he engaged in legislative activities. He also served as the Chairman of the National Defense and Security Special Committee and the Chairman of the 2nd Policy Coordination Committee of the Democratic Party of Korea. In the

2024 South Korean legislative election Legislative elections were held in South Korea on 10 April 2024. All 300 members of the National Assembly (South Korea), National Assembly were elected, 254 from first-past-the-post South Korean Legislature Constituencies, constituencies and 46 ...

, he ran as a Democratic Party candidate in

Namyangju Namyangju (; ) is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. To the east is Gapyeong County, to the west is Guri, and to the north is Pocheon. Namyangju was originally a southern part of Yangju-gun, but was separated into Namyangju-gun in April ...

- eul,

Gyeonggi Province Gyeonggi Province (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea. Seoul, the nation's largest city and capital, is in the heart of the area but has been separately administered as a provincial-level ''special city'' since 1946. Incheon, ...

, and was successfully re-elected. He is currently working on the National Assembly Defense Committee, taking advantage of his military career.

References

External links

General Kim Byung-joo's The Art of War explanation on YouTube
(in Korean) Republic of Korea Army personnel 1962 births People from Yecheon County Democratic Party (South Korea, 2000) politicians Members of the National Assembly (South Korea) South Korean generals Living people {{SouthKorea-politician-stub