Minister

ABOUT DAPA

Seok, Jong Gun

Minister of Defense Acquisition Program Administration

Minister Seok, a retired Army Major General, is the Minister of Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) of the Republic of Korea (ROK).

In this capacity, he is responsible for overseeing DAPA’s extensive portfolio of Force Improvement Programs,
procurement of military supplies, and promotion of defense industry.

Minister Seok graduated from the Korea Military Academy in 1989. He earned a Master’s Degree in Military Operations Research at the Korea National Defense University in 1993.

He was commissioned as an Army Second Lieutenant in 1989. Later in 2006, he served as the commanding officer of a battalion of the 1st Infantry Division; in 2011, he assumed his post as the commanding officer of a regiment of the 12th Infantry Division.

In 2015, he was appointed as the Surveillance and Reconnaissance Capability Branch Chief of the Capability Planning Department of the ROK JCS Strategy Planning Bureau, coordinating ISR capabilities of the ROK Armed Forces. Later in 2016 and 2017 in the same department, he also served as the Capability Planning Branch Chief, and then the Deputy Director responsible for the 1st Capability Office.

After appointed as the Commander of the 35th Infantry Division in 2018, he successfully led the division under his excellent leadership; in 2020, he took charge of the preparatory group for the 2nd Quick Response Division, laying the groundwork for the new unit of the ROK Army. Later in 2021, he served as the Director for Capability Planning of the ROK JCS Strategy Planning Bureau.

Minister Seok was sworn in as the Minister of DAPA on February 19, 2024.

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