KOREA WHO

Ahn Gyu-back is the Minister of National Defense of the Republic of Korea.

He has been emphasizing the restoration of military discipline and the recovery of public trust in the armed forces following the illegal December 3 emergency martial law incident.

He is also devoting his efforts to introducing nuclear-powered submarines and transferring wartime operational control.

He was born on April 29, 1961, in Gochang, Jeollabuk-do.

He graduated from Seoseok High School in Gwangju and the Department of Eastern Philosophy at Sungkyunkwan University. He completed the master's coursework in international trade at the Graduate School of International Trade at Sungkyunkwan University.

He entered politics in 1998 as a party official of the Peace Democratic Party, later serving as Planning Director at the Political Training Institute and Director of the Organization Bureau of the Millennium Democratic Party. In 2008, he entered the National Assembly as a proportional representative of the United Democratic Party in the 18th general election.

In the 2012 19th general election, he ran in Seoul Dongdaemun-gu Gap and was elected. He went on to win consecutively in the 20th, 21st, and 22nd general elections, becoming a five-term lawmaker.

In 2016, he served as Secretary General of the Democratic Party of Korea, and in 2018, he became a member of the party’s Supreme Council. He also served as Chairman of the National Assembly’s National Defense Committee.

He was appointed Minister of National Defense in July 2025.

He became the first civilian without military experience to lead the Defense Ministry in 64 years since the May 16 military coup.

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