Shin Won-sik

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific-prefix =

| name =

| native_name = {{nobold|신원식}}

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1958|7|24|df=y}}

| birth_place = Tongyeong, South Korea{{cite web|url=http://www.tynewspaper.co.kr/news/articleViewAmp.html?idxno=27196|script-title=ko:통영출신의 신원식 제49대 국방부장관 취임|website=통영신문|date=10 October 2023|access-date=14 October 2023|language=ko}}

| image = File:Shin Won-sik Republic of Korea Minister of National Defense (신원식) Tokyo, Japan on July 28, 2024 (cropped).jpg

| caption = Shin in 2024

| office = Director of National Security Office

| term_start = 12 August 2024

| president = Yoon Suk Yeol

| predecessor = Chang Ho-jin

| successor =

| office1 = Minister of National Defense

| term_start1 = 7 October 2023

| term_end1 = 9 September 2024

| president1 = Yoon Suk Yeol

| primeminister1 = Han Duck-soo

| predecessor1 = Lee Jong-sup

| successor1 = Kim Yong-hyun

| office2 = Member of the National Assembly

| constituency2 = Proportional

| term_start2 = 30 May 2020

| term_end2 = 31 October 2023

| predecessor2 =

| office3 = Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

| termstart3 = 7 April 2015

| termend3 = 27 October 2015

| president3 = Park Geun-hye

| predecessor3 = Kim Yu-geun

| successor3 = Um Hyun-sung

| party = People Power Party

| otherparty = Future Korea Party

| nationality = South Korean

| alma_mater = Korea Military Academy (BA)
Kyungnam University (MBA)
Kookmin University (PhD)

| allegiance = {{flag|South Korea}}

| branch = {{army|South Korea}}

| serviceyears = 1981–2016

| rank = 20px Lieutenant general

| signature = Shin Won-sik signature.svg

}}

{{Infobox Korean name/auto

|hangul=%신원식

|hanja=申源湜

}}

Shin Won-sik ({{Korean|신원식}}, born 24 July 1958) is a South Korean politician, retired army lieutenant general and former Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He held the position of Minister of National Defense within the cabinet of President Yoon Suk Yeol from 7 October 2023 until 9 September 2024. He is the current 8th director of the South Korean National Security Bureau since 12 August 2024.

Biography

He was born in Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province.{{cite web|url=https://www.amchamkorea.org/api/download/download.phptype=99&path=speaker_bio&filename=Shin+Won+Sik+Bio.pdf&filename_real=202106100938011235_yXH3X.pdf|title=SHIN, WON SIK|publisher=amchamkorea.org|accessdate=19 October 2023}}

=Military career=

Shin graduated from the 37th class of the Korea Military Academy in 1981.{{cite web|url=http://monthly.chosun.com/client/news/viw.asp?ctcd=C&nNewsNumb=201312100011|title=悲運의 황태자 期數인가, 특혜 받은 期數인가|date=1 December 2013|language=ko|accessdate=19 September 2023}} On 24 October 1985, a private from the 5th Company of the 2nd Battalion, 21st Regiment, 8th Division of the Army, of which Captain Shin Won-sik was the company commander at the time, was killed in a training accident. At the time, the military reported that it was caused by unexploded ordnance. A later reinvestigation by the Presidential Military Network Accident Investigation Commission found that the accident was caused by a misfired bullet.{{cite web|url=https://imnews.imbc.com/replay/2023/nwdesk/article/6518936_36199.html|title="38년 전 군 사망사고 원인 왜곡됐다"‥당시 중대장은 국힘 신원식 의원|date=28 August 2023|language=ko|accessdate=11 September 2023}}{{cite web|url=https://www.joongang.co.kr/article/25187790|script-title=ko:신원식, 중대장 시절 부대원 사인 조작 보도에 "손해배상 청구"|author=|date=28 August 2023|language=ko|accessdate=11 September 2023}} From 2012 to 2013, he served as the commanding general of the Capital Defense Command, in charge of defending Seoul. His final rank was Lieutenant General of the Army, and he served as the Chief of Operations of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Deputy Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Shin retired from the military in 2016.{{cite news |last1=Kim |first1=Sarah |title=Yoon replaces defense, culture and gender ministers in Cabinet reshuffle |url=https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/2023-09-13/national/politics/Yoon-replaces-defense-culture-and-gender-ministers-in-Cabinet-reshuffle/1868672 |access-date=20 September 2023 |work=Korea JoongAng Daily |date=13 September 2023 |language=en}}

=Political career=

In 2020, Shin was elected as a member of the 21st National Assembly of the Republic of Korea for the Future Korea Party, which later merged into the United Future Party (now the People Power Party).{{Cite web|url=https://www.nknews.org/2023/09/controversial-general-turned-lawmaker-nominated-as-south-korean-defense-minister/|title=Controversial general-turned-lawmaker nominated as South Korean defense minister|date=14 September 2023|accessdate=19 September 2023|author=Jeongmin Kim|publisher=NK News}} On 13 September 2023, President Yoon Suk Yeol nominated Shin as a candidate for the Minister of National Defense. Shin is considered a hawk in South Korean foreign policy towards North Korea, having criticized his country's Sunshine Policy.{{cite web|url=https://www.defensenews.com/global/asia-pacific/2023/09/18/south-koreas-president-nominates-new-defense-minister/|title=South Korea's president nominates new defense minister|author=Leilani Chavez|publisher=DefenseNews|date=18 September 2023|accessdate=19 September 2023}} His nomination was confirmed on 7 October 2023.{{cite web|url=https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20231007001551320|title=Yoon appoints new defense, culture ministers|author=Kim Na-young|date=7 October 2023|access-date=12 October 2023|publisher=Yonhap News Agency}}

Since 12 August 2024, he is the current 8th director of the South Korean Office of National Security. Until his successor takes up his duties, he temporarily serves as Chief of Security and Minister of Defence. There is a precedent for such a case of Kim Kwan-jin (former Defense Minister of Lee Myung-Bak and Park Geun-hye who held both positions from 1 to 29 June 2014).