Seoul, June 23
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Monday named five-term lawmaker Ahn Gyu-back as Defence Minister, the first time in 64 years that a civilian has been nominated for the post, the presidential office said.
Lee's pick of Ahn is seen as carrying out his election pledge to reform the military, a key promise from his presidential campaign to rebuild a nation fractured by the brief imposition of martial law in December last year under his predecessor, the ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol.
The military has come under scrutiny since Yoon deployed troops to the National Assembly when he declared martial law on December 3, allegedly to block lawmakers attempting to stop his brief imposition of martial law decree. Yoon was removed from office in April over the martial law debacle.
Ahn is a veteran politician with the Democratic Party who has mostly served on the defence subcommittee of the National Assembly. If confirmed, he will be the first civilian Defence Minister since 1961, when former President Park Chung-hee seized power through a military coup.