Gen. Lee Sang-eui Named as Top Military Chief

President Lee Myung-bak Monday named a four-star Army general with expertise in combat operations as South Korea's top military officer.

Gen. Lee Sang-eui, 58, who headed the Third Army Corps from last year, was appointed as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, according to the Defense Ministry.

The appointment comes after a Cabinet reshuffle during which President Lee Myung-bak picked Gen. Kim Tae-young, the incumbent chairman, as the new defense minister earlier this month.

Kim will undergo a confirmation hearing at the National Assembly this week.

Hwang Eui-don, a lieutenant general who oversees military intelligence operations, was picked as vice commander of the U.S.-ROK Combined Forces Command.

The command is the linchpin of the military alliance between the two allies, led by a four-star American general, Gen. Walter Sharp, who commands 28,500 U.S. troops here to deter North Korea.

Han Min-koo, vice Army chief of staff, was promoted to lead the Army that forms the backbone of South Korea's 655,000 troops, the ministry said.