Thirteen senior officials of the state weapons acquisition agency will take early retirement later this month as the agency strives to slim-down its organization and improve its efficiency, officials said Tuesday.

The personnel reorganization was the largest in scale since the establishment of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration in January 2006, they said.

Most of the officials who chose to retire early were mostly in their late 50’s except for one who will retire about 12 years earlier than the retirement age of 60, according to the officials.

In efforts to stay as a young and fresh organization as well as to enhance efficiency in its operation, DAPA has reportedly decided not to give senior-level posts to those who are close to the retirement age.

“They have decided to quit to leave their seats to their younger colleagues as the agency seeks to become slimmer,” a DAPA official said, declining to be named.

DAPA Commissioner Noh Dae-lae called on his staff to accept the recent sweeping personnel change.

“I have stepped up the pace of the reorganization as in-house per­sonnel movement remained sluggish as personnel reshuffles were carried out from time to time,” he said in a letter to his staff that marked the 100th day since he took the helm of the agency.

“The reshuffle of the scale that I have pushed, the first since its establishment, might have been a big change to you. But from a broader perspective, it was only the work of laying the foundation for reform.”

Noh also stressed that to raise the competitiveness in the defense industry, the country should turn to the “market” rules rather than state regulations. He added that it is crucial to promote the “free and open” working environment at the agency.

“What we should take caution against is our mentality that is afraid of changes, not the reform itself,” he said in the letter. 

By Song Sang-ho (sshluck@heraldcorp.com)