Air Force Chief Replaced Prematurely
By Na Jeong-ju
Staff Reporter
The Ministry of National Defense nominated Deputy Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Lee Kye-hoon as the new Air Force Chief of Staff, Thursday.
Lee, 56, will replace Kim Eun-ki, who had tendered his resignation, ministry officials said.
Lee's replacement will complete a reshuffle of the top generals in the armed forces by President Lee Myung-bak. Kim, 56, was the only four-star general that had retained his post since Lee took office in late February.
``Kim had more than seven months to finish his two-year term, but decided to step down,'' a ministry official said. ``The change-of-command ceremony will be held at the Air Force headquarters next week.''
The President is expected to name Lee Kye-hoon as the new Air Force Chief of Staff after his Cabinet approves the nomination.
President Lee replaced the other eight four-star generals in the military in April.
Gen. Kim Tae-young, 59, replaced Gen. Kim Kwan-jin to become the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Lt. Gen. Lim Choung-bin, 58, was promoted to the Army Chief of Staff, while Vice Adm. Jung Ok-keun, 56, became the chief of Naval Operations.