S Korean Defense Procurement Agency Gets New Chief Amidst Scandal

South Korean President Moon Jae-in has named Jeon Jei-guk as the new chief of Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) in a move to cut down corruption.

Former chief of DAPA, Chang Myoung-jin, resigned last month after coming under scrutiny for his earlier decision to deploy a locally developed utility helicopter despite its well-documented defects, Korea Herald reported Monday quoting Yonhap.

Jeon Jei-guk, a former defense ministry official, served various posts at the defense ministry since joining the ministry in 1980.

His appointment comes amid continued efforts by the new president to eradicate what he once called deep-rooted corruption in the defense industry.

The developer of the Surion helicopter, Korea Aerospace Industries Co., is now under a prosecution investigation on the suspicion of making excessive profits from the development project by inflating its costs.

Chang also faces an imminent prosecution investigation over suspicions of misappropriation and breach of trust.