He held the position of Minister of National Defense within the cabinet of President Yoon Suk Yeol from 7 October 2023 until 9 September 2024.

He is the current 8th director of the South Korean National Security Bureau since 12 August 2024.

[6] On 13 September 2023, President Yoon Suk Yeol nominated Shin as a candidate for the Minister of National Defense.

Until his successor takes up his duties, he temporarily serves as Chief of Security and Minister of Defence.

There is a precedent for such a case of Kim Kwan-jin (former Defense Minister of Lee Myung-Bak and Park Geun-hye who held both positions from 1 to 29 June 2014).