South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has named Shin Won-sik, a ruling party lawmaker and retired three-star general, as his new defence minister, the presidential office said on Wednesday.
The nomination comes amid North Korea's flurry of missile tests, including the latest just hours earlier and as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"He (Shin) is the right person to ... establish our security capability against North Korea's advancing nuclear and missile threats with plenty of experience in both defence policy and strategy," Kim Dae-ki, Yoon's chief of staff, told reporters.
Shin, a member of the People Power Party, said he would do his best to make sure people can live peacefully in the face of "serious security challenges."
Yoon also replaced his culture and gender equality ministers, both of whom were part of the organising committee for last month's World Scout Jamboree in South Korea which was marred by safety and hygiene concerns.
All are subject to parliamentary confirmation hearings.
