President Lee Jae-myung appointed veteran lawmaker Ahn Gyu-back as South Korea’s first civilian defence minister in over six decades, Reuters reported.
Lee fulfilled a key campaign pledge made after December’s abortive martial law declaration had eroded public trust in military leadership. The landmark nomination breaks a tradition maintained since the 1961 military coup that brought Park Chung-hee to power, wherein all defence ministers were drawn from the ranks of retired generals.
Ahn, a five-term liberal lawmaker from Lee’s Democratic Party, brings parliamentary experience as former chair of the National Assembly’s defence committee and an investigator into ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol’s imposition of martial law.
His appointment aims to reinforce civilian oversight of the military following last year’s crisis, when Yoon deployed heavily armed troops to besiege the National Assembly and election commission offices in what prosecutors later deemed an “illegal attempt to shut down the legislature and arrest political opponents.”
The December martial law episode precipitated Yoon’s impeachment and removal from office, with his defence minister Kim Yong-hyun now jailed and facing trial for insurrection. Lee, who assumed the presidency on 4 June after winning a snap election, moved rapidly to staff his administration despite lacking a transition period.
Pragmatic governance challenges
His office confirmed 11 ministerial nominations on Monday, including former UN ambassador Cho Hyun as foreign minister and veteran diplomat Chung Dong-young as unification minister overseeing relations with North Korea.
Lee’s nominations, which face legislative hearings but not formal parliamentary approval, coincide with urgent policy challenges. The president must navigate US President Donald Trump’s aggressive new tariffs threatening South Korea’s export-driven industries like automobiles, semiconductors, and steelmaking. His administration pledged a “pragmatic pro-market government” focused on economic revival while maintaining robust security alliances.
Earlier this month, Lee nominated Kim Min-seok, a four-term lawmaker and key campaign strategist, as prime minister. Kim requires parliamentary confirmation, unlike Monday’s ministerial appointees.
The defence portfolio under Ahn now shoulders dual responsibilities: restoring institutional credibility after the military’s entanglement in domestic politics and managing regional security threats amid North Korea’s advancing missile capabilities. As Lee’s chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik stated, Ahn will lead “the transformation of the military after its mobilisation in martial law.”
