Retired Maj. Gen. Kim Cheon-seok tapped to lead defense rapid acquisition institute

Retired Army Maj. Gen. Kim Cheon-seok has been tapped to lead the Defense Rapid Acquisition Technology Research Institute, an affiliate of the Agency for Defense Development tasked with fast-tracking civilian advanced technology into the military.

A Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) official confirmed Thursday that Kim had been designated for the post, while noting that official paperwork had yet to be issued.

Kim was commissioned in 1991 as a member of the Korea Military Academy's 47th class. He served as a regimental commander under the 32nd Infantry Division, head of the force planning division at Army Headquarters' planning and management staff, and director of the Ministry of National Defense's National Assembly cooperation team. He later served as head of combat development at the Army Training and Doctrine Command, where he also acted as acting commander until the first half of last year.

The institute traces its origins to April 2014, when it was established as the Defense Industry Technology Support Center under the Agency for Defense Development. It was relaunched under its current name in January 2023.

Byeon Yong-gwan served as its inaugural director. The institute was founded to promote the convergence of defense and civilian science and technology, and to support defense industry development and exports.

The institute's core mission is the rapid pilot program, which selects projects with budgets under 50 billion won ($36.9 million) and prototype development periods of no more than two years, and carries them out under the institute's direct oversight.

The military conducts trial operations and performance verification tests to assess whether a technology is suitable for military use, with successful projects potentially advancing into full-scale weapons system procurement programs.

DAPA posted public recruitment notices for the institute director position twice this year, in April and July.