# Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (South Korea)

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Korean: 대한민국 합동참모의장; Hanja: 大韓民國合同參謀議長; RR: Daehanminguk habdongchammouijang) is the highest-ranking and most senior military officer in the Republic of Korea Armed Forces.

## List

Previous chairmen have been:

### Chairman of the Combined Chiefs of Staff

| No. | Chairman of the Combined Chiefs of Staff | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Defence branch | Republic |
| 1 | Hyong-kon, LeeGeneral Lee Hyung-geun (1920–2002) | 17 February 1954 | 27 June 1956 | 2 years, 131 days | Army | 1st Republic |
| 2 | Il-Gwon, JeongGeneral Jeong Il-Gwon (1917–1994) | 27 June 1956 | 18 May 1957 | 325 days | Army | 1st Republic |
| 3 | Jae-Hyung, YuLieutenant General Yu Jae-Hyung (1921–2011) | 18 May 1957 | 26 February 1959 | 1 year, 284 days | Army | 1st Republic |
| 4 | Sun-yup, PaikGeneral Paik Sun-yup (1920–2020) | 26 February 1959 | 31 May 1960 | 1 year, 95 days | Army | 1st Republic |
| (3) | Jae-Hyung, YuLieutenant General Yu Jae-Hyung (1921–2011) Acting | 31 May 1960 | 29 August 1960 | 90 days | Army | 2nd Republic |
| 5 | Young-Hee, ChoiLieutenant General Choi Young-Hee (1921–2006) | 29 August 1960 | 8 October 1960 | 40 days | Army | 2nd Republic |
| 6 | Jong-oh, KimGeneral Kim Jong-oh (1921–1966) | 8 October 1960 | 6 June 1961 | 241 days | Army | 2nd Republic |

### Director of the Joint Staff

| No. | Portrait | Director of the Joint Staff | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Defence branch | Republic |
| 7 | | Jong-oh, KimGeneral Kim Jong-oh (1921–1966) | 6 June 1961 | 1 June 1963 | 1 year, 360 days | Army | 2nd Republic |

### Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

| No. | Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Defence branch | President |
| 8 | Jong-oh, KimGeneral Kim Jong-oh (1921–1966) | 1 June 1963 | 10 April 1965 | 1 year, 313 days | Army | Park Chung Hee |
| 9 | Chang-guk, JangGeneral Jang Chang-guk (1924–1996) | 10 April 1965 | 10 April 1967 | 2 years, 9 days | Army | Park Chung Hee |
| 10 | Chung-sik, ImGeneral Im Chung-sik (1922–1974) | 10 April 1967 | 5 August 1968 | 1 year, 117 days | Army | Park Chung Hee |
| 11 | Hyeung-tae, MoonGeneral Moon Hyeung-tae (1922–2006) | 7 August 1968 | 6 August 1970 | 1 year, 364 days | Army | Park Chung Hee |
| 12 | Heung-sun, SimGeneral Sim Heung-sun (1925–1978) | 6 August 1970 | 2 June 1972 | 1 year, 301 days | Army | Park Chung Hee |
| 13 | shin, HanGeneral Han shin (1922–1996) | 2 June 1972 | 28 February 1975 | 2 years, 271 days | Army | Park Chung Hee |
| 14 | Jae-hyun, RohGeneral Roh Jae-hyun (1926–2019) | 28 February 1975 | 29 December 1975 | 2 years, 304 days | Army | Park Chung Hee |
| 15 | Jong-hwan, KimGeneral Kim Jong-hwan (born 1923) | 29 December 1975 | 15 December 1979 | 1 year, 351 days | Army | Park Chung Hee Choi Kyu-hah |
| 16 | Byong-hyun, LewGeneral Lew Byong-hyun (1924–2020) | 15 December 1979 | 15 May 1981 | 1 year, 151 days | Army | Choi Kyu-hah Chun Doo-hwan |
| 17 | Sung-min, YoonGeneral Yoon Sung-min (1926–2017) | 15 May 1981 | 21 May 1982 | 1 year, 6 days | Army | Chun Doo-hwan |
| 18 | Yoon-ho, KimGeneral Kim Yoon-ho (1930–2013) | 21 May 1982 | 3 June 1983 | 1 year, 13 days | Army | Chun Doo-hwan |
| 19 | Gee-baek, LeeGeneral Lee Gee-baek (1931–2019) | 3 June 1983 | 3 June 1985 | 2 years, 0 days | Army | Chun Doo-hwan |
| 20 | Jin-kwon, JungGeneral Jung Jin-kwon (born 1928) | 3 June 1985 | 9 July 1986 | 1 year, 36 days | Army | Chun Doo-hwan |
| 21 | Ja-bok, OhGeneral Oh Ja-bok (1930–2017) | 9 July 1986 | 30 December 1987 | 1 year, 174 days | Army | Chun Doo-hwan |
| 22 | Sae-chang, ChoiGeneral Choi Sae-chang (born 1934) | 30 December 1987 | 14 April 1989 | 1 year, 105 days | Army | Chun Doo-hwan Roh Tae-woo |
| 23 | Ho-keun, ChungGeneral Chung Ho-keun (1933–2003) | 14 April 1989 | 7 December 1991 | 2 years, 237 days | Army | Roh Tae-woo |
| 24 | Phil-sup, LeeGeneral Lee Phil-sup (born 1937) | 7 December 1991 | 29 May 1993 | 1 year, 173 days | Army | Roh Tae-woo Kim Young-sam |
| 25 | Yang-ho, LeeGeneral Lee Yang-ho (1937–2020) | 29 May 1993 | 24 December 1994 | 1 year, 209 days | Air Force | Kim Young-sam |
| 26 | Dong-jin, KimGeneral Kim Dong-jin (born 1938) | 24 December 1994 | 18 October 1996 | 1 year, 299 days | Army | Kim Young-sam |
| 27 | Yeoug-nam, YoonGeneral Yoon Yeoug-nam (1940–2021) | 18 October 1996 | 26 March 1998 | 1 year, 159 days | Army | Kim Young-sam Kim Dae-jung |
| 28 | Jin-ho, KimGeneral Kim Jin-ho (born 1941) | 26 March 1998 | 26 October 1999 | 1 year, 214 days | Army | Kim Dae-jung |
| 29 | Yung-kil, ChoGeneral Cho Yung-kil (born 1940) | 26 October 1999 | 8 October 2001 | 1 year, 347 days | Army | Kim Dae-jung |
| 30 | Nam-shin, LeeGeneral Lee Nam-shin (born 1944) | 8 October 2001 | 7 April 2003 | 1 year, 181 days | Army | Kim Dae-jung Roh Moo-hyun |
| 31 | Jong-hwan, KimGeneral Kim Jong-hwan (born 1946) | 7 April 2003 | 7 April 2005 | 2 years, 0 days | Army | Roh Moo-hyun |
| 32 | Sang-hee, LeeGeneral Lee Sang-hee (born 1945) | 7 April 2005 | 17 November 2006 | 1 year, 224 days | Army | Roh Moo-hyun |
| 33 | Kwan-jin, KimGeneral Kim Kwan-jin (born 1949) | 17 November 2006 | 25 March 2008 | 1 year, 129 days | Army | Roh Moo-hyun Lee Myung-bak |
| 34 | Tae-Young, KimGeneral Kim Tae-young (born 1949) | 28 March 2008 | 23 September 2009 | 1 year, 182 days | Army | Lee Myung-bak |
| 35 | Sang-eui, LeeGeneral Lee Sang-eui (born 1951) | 30 September 2009 | 30 June 2010 | 273 days | Army | Lee Myung-bak |
| 36 | Min-goo, HanGeneral Han Min-goo (born 1951) | 30 June 2010 | 26 October 2011 | 1 year, 118 days | Army | Lee Myung-bak |
| 37 | Seung-jo, JeongGeneral Jeong Seung-jo (born 1953) | 26 October 2011 | 16 October 2013 | 1 year, 355 days | Army | Lee Myung-bak Park Geun-hye |
| 38 | Yoon-hee, ChoiAdmiral Choi Yoon-hee (born 1953) | 16 October 2013 | 7 October 2015 | 1 year, 356 days | Navy | Park Geun-hye |
| 39 | Sun-jin, LeeGeneral Lee Sun-jin (born 1954) | 7 October 2015 | 20 August 2017 | 1 year, 317 days | Army | Park Geun-hye Moon Jae-in |
| 40 | Kyeong-doo, JeongGeneral Jeong Kyeong-doo (born 1960) | 20 August 2017 | 21 September 2018 | 1 year, 32 days | Air Force | Moon Jae-in |
| 41 | Han-ki, ParkGeneral Park Han-ki (born 1960) | 11 October 2018 | 23 September 2020 | 1 year, 348 days | Army | Moon Jae-in |
| 42 | In-choul, WonGeneral Won In-choul (born 1961) | 23 September 2020 | 5 July 2022 | 1 year, 285 days | Air Force | Moon Jae-in |
| 43 | Seung-kyum, KimGeneral Kim Seung-kyum (born 1963) | 5 July 2022 | 25 November 2023 | 1 year, 143 days | Army | Yoon Suk-yeol |
| 44 | Myung-soo, KimAdmiral Kim Myung-soo (born 1967) | 25 November 2023 | Incumbent | 1 year, 34 days | Navy | Yoon Suk-yeol |