Kim Chong-kon retired from the post as Chief of Naval Operations on May 14, 1981,[REF] and was later appointed as the country's Ambassador to the ROC on July 25 [REF].
On April 11, 1985, the South Korean government announced the replacement of its six ambassadors abroad, with Kim Chong-kon's post succeeded by Kim Sang-tae, a former Air Force Chief of Staff [REF].