Park Han-ki (Korean: 박한기) is a South Korean general who served as the 41st
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) is the presiding officer of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). The chairman is the highest-ranking and most senior military officer in the United States Armed Forces Chairman: app ...
of the
Republic of Korea Armed Forces
The Republic of Korea Armed Forces (), also known as the ROK Armed Forces, are the armed forces of South Korea. The ROK Armed Forces is one of the largest and most powerful standing armed forces in the world with a reported personnel strength of ...
from October 11, 2018, to September 23, 2020. Prior to his appointment, he held various positions in the
Republic of Korea Army
The Republic of Korea Army (ROKA; ko, 대한민국 육군; Hanja: 大韓民國 陸軍; RR: ''Daehanminguk Yuk-gun''), also known as the ROK Army or South Korean Army, is the army of South Korea, responsible for ground-based warfare. It is the l ...
, such as the former commander of the
2nd Operational Command, the
I Corps I Corps, 1st Corps, or First Corps may refer to:
France
* 1st Army Corps (France)
* I Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars
* I Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French A ...
and the
VIII Corps 8th Corps, Eighth Corps, or VIII Corps may refer to:
* VIII Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French army during the Napoleonic Wars
* VIII Army Corps (German Confederation)
* VIII Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Ar ...
.
Early life and education
He was born on January 16, 1960, in
Buyeo County
Buyeo County (''Buyeo-gun'') is a county in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. Buyeo-eup, the county's capital, was the site of the capital of Baekje from 538-660 AD, during which it was called Sabi Fortress.
Famous people associated with ...
,
South Chungcheong Province
South Chungcheong Province ( ko, 충청남도, ''Chungcheongnam-do''), also known as Chungnam, is a province of South Korea. South Chungcheong has a population of 2,059,871 (2014) and has a geographic area of 8,204 km2 (3,168 sq mi) located in ...
,
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
. He was a member of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps program at the
University of Seoul
The University of Seoul (UOS; ) is a municipal public university in Seoul, South Korea. UOS is famous in South Korea for a large number of alumni working as national or municipal government officials. UOS is specialized in urban science and has ...
and was commissioned as second lieutenant in 1983 after graduating.
He also completed programs in
KAIST
The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) is a national research university located in Daedeok Innopolis, Daejeon, South Korea. KAIST was established by the Korean government in 1971 as the nation's first public, research ...
in 2010, and in
Ajou University
Ajou University () is a private research university located in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It was founded in 1973 by an agreement between the governments of France and the Republic of Korea.
Ajou University started as Ajou Engineeri ...
in 2017.
Career
Park held various commands and positions in the South Korean Army, such as the 1st Battalion Commander of the 102nd Regiment, 17th Infantry Division in 1997, became Head of the 99th Regiment, 32nd Infantry Division in 2006, and served as the 2nd Operation Command Planning and Organization Director in 2008. He also served as the Chief of Staff, 1st Corps in 2010 and served as an Army Student Military School Professor in 2011.
He became the Commander of the 53rd Infantry Division in 2012 and Commander of the VIII Corps in 2015, as well as became Operations Officer of the Army (G3), became Chief of Staff of the
1st Corps; and became Commander of the
2nd Operational Command in
Daegu
Daegu (, , literally 'large hill', 대구광역시), formerly spelled Taegu and officially known as the Daegu Metropolitan City, is a city in South Korea.
It is the third-largest urban agglomeration in South Korea after Seoul and Busan; it is ...
in 2018, before becoming the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in October 2018.
He formally retired in the military on September 23, 2020, after being replaced by Gen.
Won In-choul.
Park is married to Chung Hee-li and they have two daughters.
References
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Park, Han-ki
1960 births
Living people
People from Buyeo County
Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (South Korea)
University of Seoul alumni