Professor Named Defense Reform Chief
By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
Professor Hong Kyu-deok of Sookmyung Women's University was named Wednesday as chief of the Ministry of National Defense's defense reform bureau, the ministry said.
Hong, 52, who replaces retired major general Kim Kyeong-deok, is the first civilian to take the post, it said.
Hong's appointment was construed as an effort by the Lee Myung-bak administration to restructure the defense bureaucracy and strengthen civilian roles in the military, observers say.
Hong will oversee the Defense Reform 2020 plans focused on streamlining the manpower-oriented military into a slimmer, stronger version.
Under the reform package unveiled in 2005, the military plans to reduce the nation's number of troops from 690,000 to 517,000 by 2020 in stages, while equipping its armed forces with high-tech weapons systems.
Hong served as an advisor during President Lee Myung-bak's 2007 campaign and subsequently served as a member of Lee's transition committee.