Latest news with #AhnGyu-back
Korea Herald
5 days ago
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Defense minister nominee says to review inter-Korean military pact from scratch
Defense Minister nominee Ahn Gyu-back said Friday he will reconsider a now-scrapped military tension reduction agreement, if appointed, as part of efforts to seek peace on the Korean Peninsula. Ahn, a five-term lawmaker, was tapped as President Lee Jae Myung's first defense minister earlier this month. He is the first civilian defense chief to be nominated in 64 years for the post that has been generally taken by retired military generals. "I believe that dialogue is the most important," Ahn told reporters as he prepares for a parliamentary confirmation hearing. "North Korea is our enemy yet our people. We need to deal with the North in a multitrack approach. The 2018 military pact should be reviewed from the starting point." During his presidential campaign, Lee had said he will revive the now-suspended inter-Korean military tension reduction pact and ensure peace in the border area. South Korea fully suspended the agreement in June last year in response to the North's repeated launches of trash-carrying balloons. Ahn, however, said he will consider various circumstances to seek the "most peaceful approach" rather than restoring the agreement immediately. When asked about how he plans to respond to growing pressure to hike defense spending and speculations over Washington seeking "strategic flexibility" of US Forces Korea, Ahn said he will handle the issues based on the national interest. "I believe we need to cope with such issues in a proactive and positive manner, rather than a passive manner. I will assess where our national interest lies and approach issues in such a proactive manner," Ahn said. (Yonhap)
Gulf Today
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Gulf Today
President Lee picks South Korea's first civilian defence minister in 64 years
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung nominated a five-term liberal lawmaker as defence minister on Monday, breaking with a tradition of appointing retired military generals. The announcement came as several prominent former defense officials, including ex-Defence Minister Kim Yong Hyun, face high-profile criminal trials over their roles in carrying out martial law last year under then-President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was indicted on rebellion charges and removed from office. Ahn Gyu-back, a lawmaker from Lee's Democratic Party, has served on the National Assembly's defence committee and chaired a legislative panel that investigated the circumstances surrounding Yoon's martial law decree. Ahn Gyu-back leaves his office at the National Assembly in Seoul on Monday. AP Yoon's authoritarian move involved deploying hundreds of heavily armed troops to the National Assembly and election commission offices in what prosecutors described as an illegal attempt to shut down the legislature and arrest political opponents and election officials. That sparked calls to strengthen civilian control over the military, and Lee promised during his election campaign to appoint a defense minister with a civilian background. Since a 1961 coup that brought military dictator Park Chung-hee to power, all of South Korea's defence ministers have come from the military - a trend that continued even after the country's democratization in the late 1980s. While Ahn will face a legislative hearing, the process is likely to be a formality, since the Democrats hold a comfortable majority in the National Assembly and legislative consent isn't required for Lee to appoint him. Among cabinet appointments, Lee only needs legislative consent for prime minister, Seoul's nominal No. 2 job. "As the first civilian Minister of National Defence in 64 years, he will be responsible for leading and overseeing the transformation of the military after its mobilisation in martial law," Kang Hoon-sik, Lee's chief of staff, said in a briefing. Ahn was among 11 ministers nominated by Lee on Monday, with longtime diplomat Cho Hyun selected as foreign minister and five-term lawmaker Chung Dong-young returning for another stint as unification minister — a position he held from 2004 to 2005 as Seoul's point man for relations with North Korea. Associated Press
Hindustan Times
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Who is Thomas Fugate? 22-year-old ‘gardener' Trump picked to lead terrorism prevention under fire amid Iran conflict
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has nominated Ahn Gyu-back, a five-term liberal lawmaker, as the country's first civilian defence minister in 64 years, breaking from a tradition of military appointments. This move follows the recent criminal trials of former officials related to last year's martial law under ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was ousted on rebellion charges.
Hindustan Times
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
South Korea gets Ahn Gyu-back as first civilian defence minister in 64 years
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has nominated Ahn Gyu-back, a five-term liberal lawmaker, as the country's first civilian defence minister in 64 years, breaking from a tradition of military appointments. This move follows the recent criminal trials of former officials related to last year's martial law under ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was ousted on rebellion charges.
