| Agency Name: | Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of Korea |
| Nativename A: | 대한민국 국방부 |
| Nativename R: | Daehanminguk Gukbangbu |
| Seal: | Emblem of the Ministry of National Defense (South Korea).svg |
| Jurisdiction: | Government of South Korea |
| Headquarters: | 22, Itaewon-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea |
| Budget: | ₩57.01 trillion (2023)[1] |
| Minister1 Name: | Shin Won-sik |
| Deputyminister1 Name: | Kim Seon-ho |
| Child1 Agency: | Defense Acquisition Program Administration |
| Child2 Agency: | Military Manpower Administration |
| Website: | Official MND website in English Official MND website in Korean |
| Rr: | Daehanminguk Gukbangbu |
| Mr: | Taehanmin'guk Kukpangbu |
The Ministry of National Defense (MND,) is a department within the government of the Republic of Korea (ROK) and responsible for the military branches of South Korea.
The Ministry of National Defense was established on 15 August 1948[2] and located at Yongsan-dong, Yongsan District, Seoul.[3] It was established following the foundation of ROK in 1948, superseding the (DIS, Korean: 국내경비부) in charge of Southern Korean armed forces under the United States Army Military Government (USAMGIK) during the Allied occupation era. During Coup d'état of December Twelfth, ministry was occupied by 1st Airborne Special Forces Brigade commanded by Park Hee-do.[4] In 2018, the Ministry has agreed to respect the results from its Special Investigation Committee on Gwangju Uprising in which MD Helicopters MD 500 and UH-1H were used to fire on protesting citizens.[5]
The Ministry of National Defense is allegedly active in military-level censorship such as book banning[6] and screening of mobile apps[7] within the military hierarchy.
In April 2024, South Korean and the UK navies conducted joint patrols around the Korean Peninsula to enforce UN sanctions against North Korea's nuclear and missile programs. The mission aimed to intercept illicit shipping, following the Downing Street Accord signed by the leaders earlier. Canada and New Zealand also contributed to sanctions enforcement in the region. However, challenges arose, with Russia vetoing a resolution to renew the panel monitoring sanctions enforcement against North Korea.[8]
| Portrait | Name | Term of office | Defence branch | President | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||
| 1 | Lee Beom-seok Korean: 이범석<br>李範奭 | 15 August 1948 | 20 March 1949 | Korean Liberation Army | Syngman Rhee | ||
| 2 | Shin Song-mo Korean: 신성모<br>申性模 | 21 March 1949 | 5 May 1951 | ||||
| 3 | Lee Ki-poong Korean: 이기붕<br>李起鵬 | 7 May 1951 | 29 March 1952 | Civilian | |||
| 4 | Korean: 신태영<br>申泰英 | 29 March 1952 | 30 June 1953 | ||||
| 5 | Sohn Won-yil Korean: 손원일<br>孫元一 | 30 June 1953 | 26 May 1956 | ||||
| 6 | Kim Yong-woo Korean: 김용우<br>金用雨 | 26 May 1956 | 6 July 1957 | Civilian | |||
| 7 | Kim Chung-yul Korean: 김정렬<br>金貞烈 | 6 July 1957 | 2 May 1960 | ||||
| 8 | Korean: 이종찬<br>李鐘贊 | 2 May 1960 | 23 August 1960 | Yun Bo-seon | |||
| 9 | Korean: 현석호<br>玄錫虎 | 23 August 1960 | 12 September 1960 | Civilian | |||
| 10 | Korean: 권중돈<br>權仲敦 | 12 September 1960 | 30 January 1961 | Civilian | |||
| (9) | Korean: 현석호<br>玄錫虎 | 30 January 1961 | 18 May 1961 | Civilian | |||
| 11 | Chang Do-yong Korean: 장도영<br>張都暎 | 20 May 1961 | 6 June 1961 | ||||
| — | Korean: 신응균<br>申應均 | 6 June 1961 | 12 June 1961 | ||||
| 12 | Song Yo-chan Korean: 송요찬<br>宋堯讚 | 12 June 1961 | 10 July 1961 | ||||
| 13 | Korean: 박병권<br>朴炳權 | 10 July 1961 | 16 March 1963 | ||||
Park Chung-hee | |||||||
| 14 | Korean: 김성은<br>金聖恩 | 16 March 1963 | 27 February 1968 | Republic of Korea Marine Corps | |||
Park Chung-hee | |||||||
| 15 | Korean: 최영희<br>崔榮喜 | 28 February 1968 | 5 August 1968 | ||||
| 16 | Im Chung-sik Korean: 임충식<br>任忠植 | 5 August 1968 | 10 March 1970 | ||||
| 17 | Korean: 정래혁<br>丁來赫 | 10 March 1970 | 25 August 1971 | ||||
| 18 | Yu Jae-hung Korean: 유재흥<br>劉載興 | 25 August 1971 | 3 December 1973 | ||||
| 19 | Korean: 서종철<br>徐鐘喆 | 3 December 1973 | 20 December 1977 | ||||
| 20 | Roh Jae-hyun Korean: 노재현<br>盧載鉉 | 20 December 1977 | 14 December 1979 | ||||
| 21 | Joo Young-bok Korean: 주영복<br>周永福 | 14 December 1979 | 21 May 1982 | Choi Kyu-hah | |||
Chun Doo-hwan | |||||||
| 22 | Yoon Sung-min Korean: 윤성민<br>尹誠敏 | 21 May 1982 | 8 January 1986 | ||||
| 23 | Korean: 이기백<br>李基百 | 8 January 1986 | 14 July 1987 | ||||
| 24 | Chung Ho-yong Korean: 정호용<br>鄭鎬溶 | 14 July 1987 | 25 February 1988 | ||||
| 25 | Korean: 오자복<br>吳滋福 | 25 February 1988 | 4 December 1988 | Roh Tae-woo | |||
| 26 | Korean: 이상훈<br>李相薰 | 4 December 1988 | 8 October 1990 | ||||
| 27 | Korean: 이종구<br>李鐘九 | 8 October 1990 | 20 December 1991 | ||||
| 28 | Korean: 최세창<br>崔世昌 | 20 December 1991 | 26 February 1993 | ||||
| 29 | Kwon Young-hae Korean: 권영해<br>權寧海 | 26 February 1993 | 22 December 1993 | Kim Young-sam | |||
| 30 | Lee Byung-tae Korean: 이병태<br>李炳台 | 22 December 1993 | 24 December 1994 | ||||
| 31 | Lee Yang-ho Korean: 이양호<br>李養鎬 | 24 December 1994 | 18 October 1996 | ||||
| 32 | Korean: 김동진<br>金東鎭 | 18 October 1996 | 3 March 1998 | ||||
| 33 | Korean: 천용택<br>千容宅 | 3 March 1998 | 24 May 1999 | Kim Dae-jung | |||
| 34 | Korean: 조성태<br>趙成台 | 24 May 1999 | 26 March 2001 | ||||
| 35 | Korean: 김동신<br>金東信 | 26 March 2001 | 12 July 2002 | ||||
| 36 | Korean: 이준<br>李俊 | 12 July 2002 | 27 February 2003 | ||||
| 37 | Korean: 조영길<br>曺永吉 | 27 February 2003 | 29 July 2004 | Roh Moo-hyun | |||
| 38 | Yoon Kwang-ung Korean: 윤광웅<br>尹光雄 | 29 July 2004 | 24 November 2006 | ||||
| 39 | Kim Jang-soo Korean: 김장수<br>金章洙 | 24 November 2006 | 29 February 2008 | ||||
| 40 | Lee Sang-hee Korean: 이상희<br>李相憙 | 29 February 2008 | 22 September 2009 | Lee Myung-bak | |||
| 41 | Kim Tae-young Korean: 김태영<br>金泰榮 | 23 September 2009 | 4 December 2010 | ||||
| 42 | Kim Kwan-jin Korean: 김관진<br>金寬鎭 | 4 December 2010 | 30 June 2014 | ||||
Park Geun-hye | |||||||
| 43 | Han Min-goo Korean: 한민구<br>韓民求 | 30 June 2014 | 13 July 2017 | ||||
| 44 | Song Young-moo Korean: 송영무<br>宋永武 | 13 July 2017 | 21 September 2018 | Moon Jae-in | |||
| 45 | Jeong Kyeong-doo Korean: 정경두<br>鄭景斗 | 21 September 2018 | 18 September 2020 | ||||
| 46 | Suh Wook Korean: 서욱<br>徐旭 | 18 September 2020 | 10 May 2022 | ||||
| 47 | Lee Jong-sup Korean: 이종섭<br>李鐘燮 | 10 May 2022 | 6 October 2023 | Yoon Suk Yeol | |||
| 48 | Shin Won-sik Korean: 신원식<br>申源湜 | 7 October 2023 | Incumbent | ||||