South Korea appointed Kim Seung-ryong as National Fire Agency chief

On the 17th, President Lee Jae-myung appointed Kim Seung-ryong, the deputy chief of Korea’s National Fire Agency, as the agency’s new chief. The Blue House provided the announcement.

In a briefing, spokesperson Kang Yu-jeong said Kim has held a broad range of roles at both field and central levels, including head of the Gangwon Fire Service, director of the Equipment and Technology Bureau, and the agency’s spokesperson. “Kim combines frontline leadership with planning and administrative skills,” Kang said, adding that he is well suited to ensure rapid on-scene responses and precise command amid increasingly complex disaster environments.

Kim has been serving as acting chief for six months after the previous head, Heo Seok-gon, was suspended last September over allegations of involvement in the 12·3 coup attempt. The change at the top formalizes his leadership of the agency.

A native of Iksan in Jeollabuk-do (North Jeolla Province), Kim is a 9th-term graduate of Korea’s Fire Service Cadet Corps and joined the firefighting service in 1997.

The National Fire Agency oversees firefighting, rescue, and disaster-response operations nationwide, operating at the center of Korea’s emergency management framework. The position has historically carried high visibility as Korea faces increasingly frequent and severe climate-related and urban emergencies.

For U.S. readers, the appointment matters beyond Korea because it reflects a push to modernize gear, training, and technology in public-safety agencies. Korea’s emphasis on equipment and field-command capabilities can influence regional standards, joint training, and supply-chain resilience for safety gear and disaster-response technology that also circulates in international markets.

The leadership change also follows a period of political scrutiny around the former chief, signaling an effort to stabilize a key public-safety institution. Kim’s six-month tenure as acting chief positions him to implement continuity while pursuing longer-term modernization and reform.