S. Korea’s Civilian Defense Minister Pledges Peace on Korean Peninsula
(MENAFN) South Korea appointed its first civilian defense minister in decades as Ahn Gyu-back took office Friday, committing to long-term peace on the Korean Peninsula.
The 64-year-old Democratic Party lawmaker was named by President Lee Jae-myung after weeks of parliamentary scrutiny. Ahn is the first defense minister without a military background since the 1961 coup.
As reported by local media, Ahn promised to “militarily support efforts to establish peace on the Korean Peninsula,” while keeping “doors open for dialogue” and enhancing deterrence capabilities.
His appointment arrives amid Seoul’s efforts to ease tensions with North Korea, which include suspending propaganda broadcasts and banning civil society groups from sending anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).
Ahn also pledged to restore public confidence in the military amid an investigation into a failed martial law attempt linked to former President Yoon Suk Yeol. The defense ministry post had been vacant since December, following the resignation of Yoon’s defense chief, Kim Yong-hyun, who faced allegations related to the incident.
At the ministry, Ahn urged the armed forces to “strictly adhere to political neutrality and focus on its duty of protecting the people from external threats.”
He emphasized strengthening South Korea’s defense alliance with the United States, calling it a “linchpin” of national security.
During confirmation hearings, Ahn revealed the Lee administration’s goal to reclaim wartime operational control of South Korean forces from the US, according to Nikkei Asia.
Since the 1950s armistice that ended active combat in the Korean War, the US has maintained over 28,500 troops in South Korea under a defense treaty, keeping the peninsula in a state of war rather than a formal ceasefire.
Ahn noted that any transfer of operational command would require “in-depth conversations with the US,” expressing optimism the shift could happen within President Lee’s five-year term, which began in June, Nikkei Asia reported.
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