Kim Myung-soo (admiral)

Kim Myung-soo (born 1967), is a South Korean Navy admiral who has been serving as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President Yoon Suk Yeol since 25 November 2023. Prior to his appointment, Kim was named as commander of the Republic of Korea Fleet, Superintendent of the Korea Naval Academy, and as Commander of the 1st Fleet.

Early life and education
Kim attended high school in Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang. He graduated from the Korea Naval Academy Class 43 in 1989 at the top of his class and received the Presidential Award for his accomplishments. Kim earned his Master of Defense Science at the Korea National Defense University in 1992. In 2014, he received his PhD in political science and international relations from Kookmin University.

Naval career
After graduating from the Naval Academy, he commissioned as Ensign in 1989, where he first served as a communications officer under the 11th Combat Squadron of the 1st Fleet. In 1990, he was promoted to Lieutenant Junior Grade and served as an officer-on-duty at the Joint Operations Command Center of the 108th Squadron, 1st Fleet. Kim later served the Naval Combat Development Group under the Weapon Systems Department and the Power Generation Department in 1999 to 2000, respectively, before being named as the commanding officer of the ROKS Yangyang (MSH 571) from 2001 to 2002, and was later appointed as Disciplinary Officer of the 8th Company, 2nd Battalion of the Naval Academy Cadet Corps from 2002 to 2003. In 2003, Kim served as a KDX Weapon System Instructor under the Naval Education and Training Command. Kim later served as the commanding officer of the ROKS Munmu the Great (DDH-976) in 2006. From 2007 to 2009, Kim served as the operations officer pf the ROKS Sejong the Great (DDG-991). During his term as operations officer, Kim utilized his expertise and skills in missile detection and tracking as he carried out missile detection missions for the first detection of the launch of North Korea’s Kwangmyŏngsŏng-2 on April 2009. Kim also spearheaded the detection of the Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3 launcher on 13 April 2012 as the commander of the ROKS Sejong the Great. In the same month, Kim received the Presidential Personal Commendation for this accomplishment.

Kim also served as the Chief of the 2nd Operations Division at the Joint Chiefs of Staff Headquarters in November 2015, as the Commander of the Maritime Battle Group 2, which serves under the 2nd Fleet, in October 2016, and as Director of the Maritime Operations Center in January 2018. Kim was later named as the Commander of the 1st Fleet in December 2018, before being named as Deputy Chief of Naval Operations, Intelligence and Operations in November 2019. On May 2020, Kim was named as the Superintendent of the Korea Naval Academy, and was named as Director in the Foreign Intelligence Directorate at the Korea Defense Industry Association on December 2020.

Kim was named as the Director General in the Defense Management Reform Bureau at the Ministry of National Defense on December 2021, before serving as the Vice Chief of Naval Operations on June 2022 to December 2022. On December 2022, Kim was named as the Commander of the Republic of Korea Fleet.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
On October 29, 2023, he was promoted to admiral in the second general appointment of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration and was nominated as a candidate to succeed Army General Kim Seung-kyum as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. Kim's appointment is described as a surprise as his appointment for the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is a first time since 1994 that a three-star ranking officer will be named as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and is also a first time in 10 years that an admiral of the navy has been appointed as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff since Admiral Choi Yoon-hee, who served from October 16, 2013 to October 7, 2015, who was the first Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under the Park Geun-hye government. Kim's appointment also comes amidst the rising importance of strengthening the nation's naval capabilities, due to the rise of incursions of the Korean People's Navy in the Yellow Sea's Northern Limit Line. Admiral Kim Myung-soo took office on 25 November 2023.

In march 2024 admiral Kim Myung-soo visited the second operational center for air and missile defense of Korea at the Combat Aviation Command in Daegu (237 km southeast of SEOUL). During his visit, Admiral Kim called on the personnel to "deal an overwhelming blow to the enemy in case of any provocation." According to media reports, this visit is connected with the fears of the South Korean leadership about possible nuclear missile tests by the DPRK, against the background of the South Korean-American exercises "Freedom Shield" held since 11 December 2024.

Awards in Military Service

 * Presidential Personal Commendation (2012)