Shin Won-sik

Shin Won-sik (, born July 24, 1958) is a retired South Korean army lieutenant general and former Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Currently; he holds the position of Minister of National Defense within the cabinet of President Yoon Suk Yeol, since October 7, 2023.

Biography
He was born in Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province.

Military career
Shin graduated from the 37th class of the Korea Military Academy in 1981. On October 24, 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 for the Future Korea Party, which later merged into the United Future Party (now the People Power Party). On September 13, 2023, President Yoon Suk Yeol nominated Shin as a candidate for the Minister of National Defense. Shin is considered a hawk in South Korean foreign policy towards North Korea, having criticized his country's Sunshine Policy. His nomination was confirmed on 7 October 2023.