President Lee Jae-myung on Aug. 30 nominated Kang Shin-chul, ambassador to Saudi Arabia, as defence minister. Kang served as deputy commander of the ROK-US Combined Forces Command before moving to the diplomatic post.

A retired four-star army general, he built his career in combined operations and is reported to have held senior posts across four administrations.

The CFC deputy command

The deputy commander of the Combined Forces Command is a South Korean four-star billet that deals with the combined command structure and operational planning. Nominating someone from that post to head the defence ministry is not unusual.

With alliance questions at the centre of defence policy, one reading is that the choice favours someone who has worked inside the combined command structure. The government has not yet elaborated publicly.

Issues ahead

The portfolio is expected to involve wartime operational control talks, cost-sharing, force structure reform and the introduction of unmanned systems. Which of these takes priority should emerge in hearing testimony.

The defence budget calendar may overlap with the confirmation timetable, in which case the vice-minister would carry day-to-day duties.

Procedure, and a caution

A hearing before the National Assembly's defence committee is required. For nominees from the military, command history along with asset and service-record vetting is customarily covered.

This paper withholds assessment of a nominee before that process. What is confirmed is the nomination and the career record; policy direction has not been announced.