He joined the army from 65438 to 0956, and served as deputy minister of military operations, chief of staff and director of reconnaissance bureau of the general staff, deputy chief of staff and director of operations bureau and training institute.
1986 was elected as a member of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea.
1April, 992, promoted to the rank of General of the People's Army.
1993 10, served as the director of the General Administration of Military Mobilization.
1March, 994, served as the commander of the sixth army of the People's Army.
1995 10, he was promoted to the second commander of the people's army and became the chief of staff of the people's army.
1served as a member of the national defense commission in September 1998.
In April 2007, he served as the vice chairman of the National Defense Commission and no longer served as the Chief of Staff.
In February 2009, 1 1 served as Minister of the Korean People's Armed Forces.
20 10 was elected as a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the Central Military Commission at the Third Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea in September.
20 12 April, on the eve of the fourth congress of the Workers' Party of Korea, he ceased to be the Minister of People's Armed Forces and later served as the Minister of Military Affairs of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.
April 20 14, after the first meeting of the DPRK 13 Supreme People's Assembly, he no longer served as the vice chairman of the National Defense Commission.
20 16 was awarded the title of Marshal of the People's Army in April.