The Minister of National Defense () of South Korea is the leader and chief executive of the Ministry of National Defense. The minister is responsible for implementing South Korea's national defense policy, and is a member of the State Council. The minister of national defense is appointed by the president and is confirmed upon a hearing by the National Assembly.
Under the principle of civil control, Article 87 of the South Korean Constitution mandates that no current member of the armed forces can become a member of the State Council. However, South Korean law does not instate a required period of hiatus between retirement from military service and appointment to the position of defense minister, resulting in a majority of past ministers being 'quasi-civilians' who were appointed after recent relief from active duty.
The current minister of national defense is Ahn Gyu-back, who was appointed by president Lee Jae Myung on June 24, 2025. He succeeded former defense minister Kim Yong-hyun, who resigned on 5 December 2024 following his involvement in the 2024 South Korean martial law crisis. Ahn is considered the first civilian defence minister since the May 16 coup in 1961.
List of ministers
Portrait Name Term of office Defence branch President Took office Left office Time in office 1 Lee Beom-seok 15 August 1948 20 March 1949 Korean Liberation Army Syngman Rhee 2 Shin Song-mo 21 March 1949 5 May 1951 3 Lee Ki-poong 7 May 1951 29 March 1952 Civilian 4 29 March 1952 30 June 1953 5 Sohn Won-yil 30 June 1953 26 May 1956 6 Kim Yong-woo 26 May 1956 6 July 1957 Civilian 7 Kim Chung-yul 6 July 1957 2 May 1960 8 2 May 1960 23 August 1960 Yun Bo-seon 9 23 August 1960 12 September 1960 Civilian 10 12 September 1960 30 January 1961 Civilian 11 30 January 1961 18 May 1961 Civilian 12 Chang Do-yong 20 May 1961 6 June 1961 — 6 June 1961 12 June 1961 13 Song Yo-chan 12 June 1961 10 July 1961 14 10 July 1961 16 March 1963 Park Chung-hee 15 16 March 1963 27 February 1968 Republic of Korea Marine Corps Park Chung-hee 16 28 February 1968 5 August 1968 17 Im Chung-sik 5 August 1968 10 March 1970 18 Jeong Rae-hyuk 10 March 1970 25 August 1971 19 Yu Jae-hung 25 August 1971 3 December 1973 20 3 December 1973 20 December 1977 21 Roh Jae-hyun 20 December 1977 14 December 1979 22 Joo Young-bok 14 December 1979 21 May 1982 Choi Kyu-hah Chun Doo-hwan 23 Yoon Sung-min 21 May 1982 8 January 1986 24 8 January 1986 14 July 1987 25 Chung Ho-yong 14 July 1987 25 February 1988 26 25 February 1988 4 December 1988 Roh Tae-woo 27 Lee Sang-hoon 4 December 1988 8 October 1990 28 8 October 1990 20 December 1991 29 20 December 1991 26 February 1993 30 Kwon Young-hae 26 February 1993 22 December 1993 Kim Young-sam 31 Lee Byung-tae 22 December 1993 24 December 1994 32 Lee Yang-ho 24 December 1994 18 October 1996 33 18 October 1996 3 March 1998 34 Chun Yong-taek 3 March 1998 24 May 1999 Kim Dae-jung 35 24 May 1999 26 March 2001 36 26 March 2001 12 July 2002 37 12 July 2002 27 February 2003 38 27 February 2003 29 July 2004 Roh Moo-hyun 39 Yoon Kwang-ung 29 July 2004 24 November 2006 40 Kim Jang-soo 24 November 2006 29 February 2008 41 Lee Sang-hee 29 February 2008 22 September 2009 Lee Myung-bak 42 Kim Tae-young 23 September 2009 4 December 2010 43 Kim Kwan-jin 4 December 2010 30 June 2014 Park Geun-hye 44 Han Min-goo 30 June 2014 13 July 2017 45 Song Young-moo 13 July 2017 21 September 2018 Moon Jae-in 46 Jeong Kyeong-doo 21 September 2018 18 September 2020 47 Suh Wook 18 September 2020 10 May 2022 48 Lee Jong-sup 10 May 2022 6 October 2023 Yoon Suk Yeol 49 Shin Won-sik 7 October 2023 5 September 2024 50 Kim Yong-hyun 6 September 2024 5 December 2024 — Kim Seon-ho 5 December 2024 27 June 2025 — Lee Doo-hee 27 June 2025 25 July 2025 Lee Jae Myung 51 Ahn Gyu-back 25 July 2025 30 August 2026civilian 52 30 August 2026 Incumbent
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