New presidential national security deputy adviser appointed

Yin Sung-hwan

President Yoon Suk Yeol appointed a specialist in joint operations with the U.S. military as his new deputy director of national security.

According to the president's office on Tuesday, army reserve Major General Yin Sung-hwan has been named the second deputy director of the presidential National Security Office (NSO).

Yin will be succeeding Lim Jong-deuk, who had held the national security advisory position since August 2022.

The new national security adviser, a graduate of the Korean military academy, is well-known for his extensive knowledge of U.S. relations and strong ties with the U.S. military.

Throughout his military career, he has not only served in the Defense Ministry's U.S. policy division but also at the ROK-US Combined Forces Command.

He held the position of the Korean commander of the ROK-US Combined Division, established in 2015.

In recognition of his contributions in 2017, Yin was awarded the Legion of Merit (LOM), the highest honor conferred by the U.S. government on a foreign soldier.

Additionally, he served as the head of the Joint Forces Military University and as the deputy commander of the Korean army's The II Corps.

BY LEE HO-JEONG [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]