Oh Ja-bok

Oh Ja-bok
오자복
PresidentRoh Tae-woo
Minister of National Defense
In office
25 February 1988 – 4 December 1988
Preceded byChung Ho-yong
Succeeded byLee Sang-hoon
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
In office
9 July 1986 – 30 December 1987
Preceded byJung Jin-kwon
Succeeded byChoi Sae-chang
Personal details
Born(1930-06-16)16 June 1930
Japanese-controlled Korea
Died25 August 2017(2017-08-25) (aged 87)
Seoul, South Korea
Resting placeDaejeon National Cemetery
CitizenshipSouth Korean
PartyIndependent
EducationMyongji University
Military service
Allegiance South Korea
Branch/serviceRepublic of Korea Army
RankJiang (General)
CommandsRepublic of Korea Armed Forces
Battles/warsKorean War

Oh Ja-bok (Korean: 오자복; June 16, 1930 – August 25, 2017) was a South Korean politician and former military officer who served as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and as Minister of National Defense.

Biography

After graduating from the College of Law at Myongji University, he was commissioned as an officer in the Republic of Korea Army through the Gapjong (Type A) officer candidate program.[citation needed] He became the first officer from this program to attain the rank of full general. In 1986-1987 he served as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and in 1988 he served as Minister of National Defense under the administration of President Roh Tae-woo. During the Chun Doo-hwan administration, he chaired the subcommittee on culture and public information for the Special Committee for National Security Measures [ko]. In this capacity, he was involved in the 1980s policies that banned private tutoring for students and promoted the liberalization of universities.

References

  1. ↑ "오자복 전 국방부 장관, 25일 숙환으로 별세". Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). 2017-08-26. Retrieved 2026-10-22.
  2. ↑ "`손자 국적포기' 오자복 성우회장 사의". The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). 2005-05-31. Archived from the original on 2005-12-28.