Shin Won-sik (, born 24 July 1958) is a South Korean politician, retired

army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

and former Vice Chairman of the

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 ...

. He held the position of

Minister of National Defense A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divided ...

within the cabinet of President

Yoon Suk Yeol Yoon Suk Yeol (; born 18 December 1960) is a South Korean politician and former prosecutor who served as the 13th president of South Korea from 2022 until Impeachment of Yoon Suk Yeol, he was removed from office in 2025. The shortest-serving ...

from 7 October 2023 until 9 September 2024. He was 8th director of the South Korean National Security Bureau from 12 August 2024 until 4 June 2025.

Biography

He was born in

Tongyeong Tongyeong (; ) is a coastal Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It has an area of and in 2010, a population of 139,869 people. It is divided into 1 eup (town), 6 myeon (township) and 11 dong (n ...

South Gyeongsang Province South Gyeongsang Province (, ) is a province in the southeast of South Korea. The provincial capital is at Changwon. It is adjacent to the major metropolitan center and port of Busan. The UNESCO World Heritage Site Haeinsa, a Buddhist temple tha ...

Military career

Shin graduated from the 37th class of 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 ...

in 1981. On 24 October 1985, a private from the 5th Company of the 2nd Battalion, 21st Regiment, 8th Division of the Army, of which Captain Shin Won-sik was the company commander at the time, was killed in a training accident. At the time, the military reported that it was caused by unexploded ordnance. A later reinvestigation by the Presidential Military Network Accident Investigation Commission found that the accident was caused by a misfired bullet. From 2012 to 2013, he served as the commanding general of the Capital Defense Command, in charge of defending Seoul. His final rank was Lieutenant General of the Army, and he served as the Chief of Operations of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Deputy Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Shin retired from the military in 2016.

Political career

In 2020, Shin was elected as a member of the 21st

National Assembly of the Republic of Korea 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 Nat ...

for the Future Korea Party, which later merged into the United Future Party (now the People Power Party). On 13 September 2023, President

nominated Shin as a candidate for the

. Shin is considered a hawk in South Korean foreign policy towards North Korea, having criticized his country's

Sunshine Policy The Reconciliation and Cooperation Policy Towards the North (), colloquially referred to as Sunshine Policy () is one of the approaches for South Korea's foreign policy towards North Korea, lasting from 1998 to 2008 and again from 2017 to 2020. ...

. His nomination was confirmed on 7 October 2023. Since 12 August 2024, he is the current 8th director of the South Korean Office of National Security. Until his successor takes up his duties, he temporarily serves as Chief of Security and Minister of Defence. There is a precedent for such a case of Kim Kwan-jin (former Defense Minister of

Lee Myung-Bak Lee Myung-bak (; born 19 December 1941), often referred to by his initials MB, is a South Korean businessman and politician who served as the tenth president of South Korea from 2008 to 2013. Before his presidency, he was the CEO of Hyundai Engi ...

and

Park Geun-hye Park Geun-hye (; ; born 2 February 1952) is a South Korean politician who served as the 11th president of South Korea from 2013 until Impeachment of Park Geun-hye, she was removed from office in 2017. Park was the first and to date only woman ...

who held both positions from 1 to 29 June 2014).

References

, - Living people 1958 births People from Tongyeong Politicians from South Gyeongsang Province Republic of Korea Army personnel Korea Military Academy alumni Kyungnam University alumni Kookmin University alumni Members of the National Assembly (South Korea) National defense ministers of South Korea South Korean anti-communists {{SouthKorea-mil-bio-stub

Biography

Military career

Political career

See also

References