Who leads military when minister is away?

By Lee Tae-hoon

Questions have been raised as to who should be named acting chief of the Armed Forces in the absence of the defense minister at a time when the military is struggling to push through reforms to reshape its command structure.

Should it be Vice Defense Minister Lee Yong-gul with hardly any military experience or one of the country’s eight four-star generals, such as Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Gen. Han Min-koo?

The commander-in-chief is the President, but the defense minister has full authority to give orders to the Army, Navy, and Air Force as well as the JCS in assisting the head of the state.