By Michael Ha
Staff Reporter
The nation's Air Force chief is being honored for his top-flight management skills.
Kim Eun-gi, chief of staff for the Air Force, was named the ``Best Executive in Asia'' by the U.S.-based International Business Awards.
The award ceremony is scheduled to take place in Dublin, Ireland, in September, the Air Force announced Wednesday.
These awards are designed to celebrate and honor exemplary management skills and top executive managers from around the world, according to the award's Web site. They are sometimes dubbed the ``Oscars for executive managers.''
Kim is credited with helping to boost efficiency at the Air Force during the past year, implementing various management initiatives that emphasized smaller, streamlined operations and command structure.
The Air Force announced: ``This is recognition that we are taking the right steps. Our military will be smaller but smarter. We will strive to keep our competitive edge as a strong, efficient military force.''
The Air Force maintains some 700 combat aircraft, including dozens of McDonnell-Douglas F-4 fighter-bombers and Lockheed F-16 Fighting Falcons as well as Korean-made KAI T-50 Golden Eagles.
In addition to the Air Force chief, a number of other Korean executives are also being honored this year by the International Business Awards.
Kang Hyun-suk, mayor of Goyang in Gyeonggi Province, won the award for ``Best Turnaround Executive,'' and Jeon Mi-ok, a top executive from the Seoul-based CMI Institute, was a finalist in the best executive award category.