Korea Appoints Fire Chief, Trade Negotiator and Envoy in Senior Reshuffle

The government of the Republic of Korea published a sweeping batch of senior personnel actions in the Official Gazette (관보) No. 21325 of 18 September 2026, appointing and dismissing more than 130 officials in a single notice. The decisions, issued under presidential authority and coordinated by the Ministry of Personnel Management (인사혁신처), cover the fire service, trade negotiations, diplomacy, local administration, the prosecution service and the police. The notice runs in the Personnel (인사) section under the heading “Government Personnel Appointments” (정부인사발령).

The notice is a consolidated list of individual appointment and dismissal decisions rather than a single decree. It cites the State Public Officials Act (국가공무원법) articles 74-2 and 40-4(1)(4), the Police Officials Act (경찰공무원법) article 19(1)(1) and the Educational Officials Act (교육공무원법) article 15(1)(4) as the legal bases for the removals and promotions. Effective dates run from 7 August to 1 September 2026, and the gazette carries the actions on 18 September.

Safety, Trade and Diplomacy Posts Filled

• 최용철 (Choi Yong-cheol), promoted from deputy commissioner (소방정감) to fire commissioner general (소방총감) and appointed head of the National Fire Agency (소방청장), effective 22 August 2026.
• 박정성 (Park Jeong-seong), appointed head of the Trade Negotiations Bureau (통상교섭본부장, vice-minister level) at the Ministry of Trade and Industry (산업통상부), effective 22 August 2026.
• 김흥규 (Kim Heung-gyu), appointed director of the National Diplomatic Academy (국립외교원장, vice-minister level), for a term running from 10 August 2026 to 9 August 2028.
• 황기연 (Hwang Gi-yeon), appointed administrative vice mayor of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City (전남광주통합특별시 행정부시장), effective 19 August 2026.

Senior Officials and Public Institutions

• 남영준 (Nam Yeong-jun), director of the National Library of Korea (국립중앙도서관장), term 7 August 2026 to 6 August 2028.
• 장정진 (Jang Jeong-jin), spokesperson of the Ministry of Economy and Finance (재정경제부 대변인).
• 김재환 (Kim Jae-hwan), emergency safety planning officer at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (행정안전부 비상안전기획관), term 10 August 2026 to 9 August 2029.
• 한영동 (Han Yeong-dong), standing commissioner of the Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board (항공·철도사고조사위원회 상임위원).
• 홍기만 (Hong Gi-man), head of the Busan Regional Meteorological Administration (부산지방기상청장).
• 장묘인 (Jang Myo-in), director of the National Oceanographic Research Institute (국립해양조사원장).
• 권진호 (Kwon Jin-ho), chairman of the Jeonbuk Regional Labor Relations Commission (전북지방노동위원회 위원장).
• 전형철 (Jeon Hyeong-cheol), director-general of the future strategy audit bureau at the Board of Audit and Inspection (감사원사무처 미래전략감사국장).
• 서호성 (Seo Ho-seong), 허만혁 (Heo Man-hyeok), 최국진 (Choi Guk-jin) and 김진아 (Kim Jin-a), appointed wardens of the Seoul Detention Center, Seoul Southern Detention Center, Seoul Eastern Detention Center and Daegu Prison respectively.
• 권성연 (Kwon Seong-yeon), 김태훈 (Kim Tae-hun) and 염기성 (Yeom Gi-seong), appointed deputy superintendents of education for Daegu, Gangwon and North Chungcheong.

Dismissals in the same batch include 김태형 (North Chungcheong deputy superintendent of education), 최원영 (small business policy chief at the SMEs ministry), 임영희 (patent tribunal judge), 이수연 (second deputy secretary general of the Board of Audit and Inspection), 최한경 (finance ministry), 조희송 (water management policy chief at the climate ministry), 박연재 (director of the National Institute of Environmental Research) and 박주용 (South Gyeongsang deputy superintendent of education).

Prosecutors and Police Officers Reassigned

The notice reassigns or removes 21 prosecutors. 채희만, head of the Pyeongtaek branch of the Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office, is removed, as are 정현주, 손진욱, 박향철 and 이성범. 김진규 and 양효승 are assigned to the prosecution bureau of the Ministry of Justice while concurrently serving at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, and 김소정, 김연재 and 류수헌 move to research posts at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office.

In the police, 김중호 of the Jeonnam Provincial Police Agency is promoted from senior superintendent to superintendent general (경무관), and 차재상 of the Gangwon Special Self-Governing Provincial Police Agency rises from inspector to senior superintendent (총경). A further 70 inspectors (경감) are promoted to superintendent (경정) across the Seoul, Busan, Daegu, Incheon, Ulsan, Sejong, Gyeonggi, Gangwon, Chungcheong, Jeolla, Gyeongsang and Jeju police agencies. 윤규근 of the Gyeonggi Northern Provincial Police Agency is removed from his post.

Impact

The single notice reshuffles the safety, trade, diplomatic and local-administration lines at once, placing a career fire officer at the head of the National Fire Agency and a new chief trade negotiator at the Ministry of Trade and Industry. It also renews the middle and senior ranks of the prosecution and police, with 70 simultaneous inspector promotions, and installs a new administrative vice mayor of the newly integrated Jeonnam-Gwangju Special City.

Source: 관보 (Official Gazette of the Republic of Korea), No. 21325, 18 September 2026, Personnel section (인사) (official reference: 인사발령(인사혁신처)).