South Korea sees 1st civilian Defense Minister in 64 years; reinstated Unification Minister urges swift restoration of inter-Korean communication channel
President Lee Jae Myung has appointed Ahn Gyu-back as the Defense Minister, Chung Dong-young as the Unification Minister and Kwon Oh-eul as the Veterans Affairs Minister, the presidential office announced Friday.
Including the prime minister, this brings the number of confirmed Cabinet ministers in the Lee administration to 16 out of the total 20 as of Friday.
Ahn, a five-term lawmaker of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, said he would restore people's trust toward South Korea's military after the martial law crisis in December, during which national armed forces were deployed to the National Assembly. He added he would "not be bound by conventions and inaction" as the civilian leader of the Ministry of the National Defense.
The new defense minister is a career politician who served as a member of the National Assembly's National Defense Committee from 2008 to 2025. He said he would navigate challenges faced by the South Korean military, such as a dwindling young population, the advancement of North Korea's nuclear and missile threat, heightened volatility in the geopolitical situation, and the fast-paced development of cutting-edge arms technologies, among others. He also stressed the need to achieve peace on the Korean Peninsula on the foundation of military strength.
Chung, also a five-term lawmaker of the Democratic Party, visited Panmunjom, a village in the demilitarized zone in northern Gyeonggi Province, later on Friday.
There, he called for a swift restoration of the communication channel between the two Koreas, as he inspected an inter-Korean emergency hotline in Panmunjom. The communication line has been cut off since April 2023.
In his kickoff speech after his visit to the DMZ, Chung said he was bestowed with the role of restoring peace on the Korean Peninsula and improving inter-Korean ties that had been marred by former Yoon Suk Yeol administration's tit-for-tat approach in dealing with North Korea. Chung also blasted Yoon for distorting the role of the Unification Ministry, which "undermined South Korea's willingness and capability to restore the inter-Korean relationship."
This is Chung's second time as unification minister, having previously taken on the role from July 2004 to December 2005 under the late former President Roh Moo-hyun.
Kwon vowed to boost support for veterans with low income and the bereaved families of war veterans, as well as increase rewards for the sacrifices veterans have made for the country, in his inaugural speech on Friday. Kwon was previously a conservative lawmaker from 1996 to 2008.
As for the four remaining ministerial posts, Lee's administration awaits the confirmation hearing of two: Culture Minister nominee Chae Hwi-young and Land Minister nominee Rep. Kim Yun-duk. The nominees for education minister and gender equality minister recently dropped out due to controversies that grew over the course of their confirmation hearings.
consnow@heraldcorp.com
