Shin Hyun-Joon was a lieutenant general

Jungjang

Jungjang is the South Korean equivalent of a Lieutenant General. It outranks the Sojang, equivalent to a Major General. The rank is also held by Korean Vice Admirals and uses three stars as its badge of rank, much like the United States version....

 and the first chief commander of the Republic of Korea Marine Corps

Republic of Korea Marine Corps

The Republic of Korea Marine Corps is the marine corps of the Republic of Korea...

. He served from April 15, 1949 until October 15, 1953 with a US 1950 Silver Star

Silver Star

The Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....

 medal including 5 more prizes and decorations that were awarded to him by the Korean government. After he joined the Republic of Korea Navy

Republic of Korea Navy

The Republic of Korea Navy or the ROK Navy is the branch of the South Korean armed forces responsible for conducting naval operations and amphibious landing operations. The ROK Navy includes the Republic of Korea Marine Corps, which is a quasi-autonomous organization...

 as lieutenant in 1946, he was assigned as one of the core members of ROK Marine and founded ROK Marine Corps on April 15, 1949. Throughout the Korean War

Korean War

The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...

, he led ROK Marine Corps as chief commander.

Following his military service he entered the Korean Foreign Service, and served as the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the Holy See

Holy See

The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...

.

In his later years, he lived in Niceville

Niceville, Florida

Niceville is a city in Okaloosa County, Florida, United States, located close to Eglin Air Force Base. It originally began with the name Valparaiso, then to separate itself from the neighboring town took the unofficial name of Boggy. Upon incorporation as an official city, the name was changed to...

, Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

. He died on October 14, 2007.