Minister of National Defense (South Korea)

Minister of National Defense
File:Flag of the Minister of National Defense of the Republic of Korea.svg Flag of the Minister of National Defense
Incumbent Kang Shin-chul since 30 August 2026
Ministry of National Defense
Member of	State Council of South Korea
Reports to	President of South Korea
Appointer	President
Formation	August 15, 1948 (1948-08-15)
Deputy	Deputy Minister of National Defense
Korean name
Hangul	국방부 장관
Hanja	國防部長官
RR	Gukbangbu janggwan
MR	Kukpangbu changgwan

The Minister of National Defense (Korean: 국방부장관) 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

  Denotes acting minister

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Defence branch	President
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
1		Lee Beom-seok 이범석 李範奭 (1900–1972)	15 August 1948	20 March 1949	217 days	Korean Liberation Army	Syngman Rhee
2		Shin Song-mo 신성모 申性模 (1891–1960)	21 March 1949	5 May 1951	2 years, 45 days	Republic of Korea Navy
3		Lee Ki-poong 이기붕 李起鵬 (1896–1960)	7 May 1951	29 March 1952	327 days	Civilian
4		Shin Tae-young 신태영 申泰英 (1891–1959)	29 March 1952	30 June 1953	1 year, 93 days	Republic of Korea Army
5		Sohn Won-yil 손원일 孫元一 (1909–1980)	30 June 1953	26 May 1956	2 years, 331 days	Republic of Korea Navy
6		Kim Yong-woo 김용우 金用雨 (1912–1985)	26 May 1956	6 July 1957	1 year, 41 days	Civilian
7		Kim Chung-yul 김정렬 金貞烈 (1917–1992)	6 July 1957	2 May 1960	2 years, 301 days	Republic of Korea Air Force
8		Lee Jong-chan 이종찬 李鐘贊 (1916–1983)	2 May 1960	23 August 1960	113 days	Republic of Korea Army	Yun Bo-seon
9		Hyun Suk-ho 현석호 玄錫虎 (1907–1988)	23 August 1960	12 September 1960	20 days	Civilian
10		Kwon Joong-don 권중돈 權仲敦 (1912–1985)	12 September 1960	30 January 1961	140 days	Civilian
11		Hyun Suk-ho 현석호 玄錫虎 (1907–1988)	30 January 1961	18 May 1961	108 days	Civilian
12		Chang Do-yong 장도영 張都暎 (1923–2012)	20 May 1961	6 June 1961	17 days	Republic of Korea Army
—		Shin Eung-gyun 신응균 申應均 (1921–1996) Acting	6 June 1961	12 June 1961	6 days	Republic of Korea Army
13		Song Yo-chan 송요찬 宋堯讚 (1918–1980)	12 June 1961	10 July 1961	28 days	Republic of Korea Army
14		Park Byung-kwon 박병권 朴炳權 (1920–2005)	10 July 1961	16 March 1963	1 year, 249 days	Republic of Korea Army
							Park Chung-hee (acting)
15		Kim Sung-eun 김성은 金聖恩 (1924–2007)	16 March 1963	27 February 1968	4 years, 348 days	Republic of Korea Marine Corps
							Park Chung-hee
16		Choi Young-hee 최영희 崔榮喜 (1921–2006)	28 February 1968	5 August 1968	159 days	Republic of Korea Army
17		Im Chung-sik 임충식 任忠植 (1922–1974)	5 August 1968	10 March 1970	1 year, 217 days	Republic of Korea Army
18		Jeong Rae-hyuk 정래혁 丁來赫 (1926–2022)	10 March 1970	25 August 1971	1 year, 168 days	Republic of Korea Army
19		Yu Jae-hung 유재흥 劉載興 (1921–2011)	25 August 1971	3 December 1973	2 years, 100 days	Republic of Korea Army
20		Seo Jong-chul 서종철 徐鐘喆 (1924–2010)	3 December 1973	20 December 1977	4 years, 17 days	Republic of Korea Army
21		Roh Jae-hyun 노재현 盧載鉉 (1926–2019)	20 December 1977	14 December 1979	1 year, 359 days	Republic of Korea Army
22		Joo Young-bok 주영복 周永福 (1927–2005)	14 December 1979	21 May 1982	2 years, 158 days	Republic of Korea Air Force	Choi Kyu-hah
							Chun Doo-hwan
23		Yoon Sung-min 윤성민 尹誠敏 (1926–2017)	21 May 1982	8 January 1986	3 years, 232 days	Republic of Korea Army
24		Lee Ki-paik 이기백 李基百 (1931–2019)	8 January 1986	14 July 1987	1 year, 187 days	Republic of Korea Army
25		Chung Ho-yong 정호용 鄭鎬溶 (1932–2026)	14 July 1987	25 February 1988	226 days	Republic of Korea Army
26		Oh Ja-bok 오자복 吳滋福 (1930–2017)	25 February 1988	4 December 1988	283 days	Republic of Korea Army	Roh Tae-woo
27		Lee Sang-hoon 이상훈 李相薰 (1933–2023)	4 December 1988	8 October 1990	1 year, 308 days	Republic of Korea Army
28		Lee Jong-gu 이종구 李鐘九 (born 1935)	8 October 1990	20 December 1991	1 year, 73 days	Republic of Korea Army
29		Choi Se-chang 최세창 崔世昌 (born 1934)	20 December 1991	26 February 1993	1 year, 68 days	Republic of Korea Army
30		Kwon Young-hae 권영해 權寧海 (born 1937)	26 February 1993	22 December 1993	299 days	Republic of Korea Army	Kim Young-sam
31		Lee Byung-tae 이병태 李炳台 (born 1937)	22 December 1993	24 December 1994	1 year, 2 days	Republic of Korea Army
32		Lee Yang-ho 이양호 李養鎬 (1937–2020)	24 December 1994	18 October 1996	1 year, 299 days	Republic of Korea Air Force
33		Kim Dong-jin 김동진 金東鎭 (born 1938)	18 October 1996	3 March 1998	1 year, 136 days	Republic of Korea Army
34		Chun Yong-taek 천용택 千容宅 (1937–2026)	3 March 1998	24 May 1999	1 year, 82 days	Republic of Korea Army	Kim Dae-jung
35		Cho Song-tae 조성태 趙成台 (1942–2021)	24 May 1999	26 March 2001	1 year, 306 days	Republic of Korea Army
36		Kim Dong-shin 김동신 金東信 (born 1941)	26 March 2001	12 July 2002	1 year, 108 days	Republic of Korea Army
37		Lee Jun 이준 李俊 (born 1940)	12 July 2002	27 February 2003	230 days	Republic of Korea Army
38		Cho Yung-kil 조영길 曺永吉 (born 1940)	27 February 2003	29 July 2004	1 year, 153 days	Republic of Korea Army	Roh Moo-hyun
39		Yoon Kwang-ung 윤광웅 尹光雄 (born 1942)	29 July 2004	24 November 2006	2 years, 118 days	Republic of Korea Navy
40		Kim Jang-soo 김장수 金章洙 (born 1948)	24 November 2006	29 February 2008	1 year, 97 days	Republic of Korea Army
41		Lee Sang-hee 이상희 李相憙 (1945–2026)	29 February 2008	22 September 2009	1 year, 206 days	Republic of Korea Army	Lee Myung-bak
42		Kim Tae-young 김태영 金泰榮 (1949–2025)	23 September 2009	4 December 2010	1 year, 72 days	Republic of Korea Army
43		Kim Kwan-jin 김관진 金寬鎭 (born 1949)	4 December 2010	30 June 2014	3 years, 208 days	Republic of Korea Army
							Park Geun-hye
44		Han Min-goo 한민구 韓民求 (born 1951)	30 June 2014	13 July 2017	3 years, 13 days	Republic of Korea Army
45		Song Young-moo 송영무 宋永武 (born 1949)	13 July 2017	21 September 2018	1 year, 70 days	Republic of Korea Navy	Moon Jae-in
46		Jeong Kyeong-doo 정경두 鄭景斗 (born 1960)	21 September 2018	18 September 2020	1 year, 363 days	Republic of Korea Air Force
47		Suh Wook 서욱 徐旭 (born 1963)	18 September 2020	10 May 2022	1 year, 234 days	Republic of Korea Army
48		Lee Jong-sup 이종섭 李鐘燮 (born 1960)	10 May 2022	6 October 2023	1 year, 149 days	Republic of Korea Army	Yoon Suk Yeol
49		Shin Won-sik 신원식 申源湜 (born 1958)	7 October 2023	5 September 2024	334 days	Republic of Korea Army
50		Kim Yong-hyun 김용현 金龍顯 (born 1959)	6 September 2024	5 December 2024	90 days	Republic of Korea Army
—		Kim Seon-ho 김선호 金善鎬 (born 1964)	5 December 2024	27 June 2025	204 days	Republic of Korea Army
—		Lee Doo-hee 이두희 李斗熙 (born 1967)	27 June 2025	25 July 2025	28 days	Republic of Korea Army	Lee Jae Myung
51		Ahn Gyu-back 안규백 安圭伯 (born 1961)	25 July 2025	30 August 2026	1 year, 36 days	civilian
52		Kang Shin-chul 강신철 姜信哲 (born 1968)	30 August 2026	Incumbent	42 days	Republic of Korea Army