Questions persist over defense minister's military service record

Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back attends a Cabinet meeting presided over by President Lee Jae Myung at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, July 14. Joint Press Corps

Questions surrounding Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back’s military service have resurfaced, with the government and his accuser offering conflicting accounts of what happened more than four decades ago.

At the center of the dispute is a gap in Ahn's military record. His record shows he began mandatory service on Nov. 5, 1983 and was discharged on Aug. 31, 1985, amounting roughly 22 months. Territorial defense soldiers at the time normally served for 14 months.

His accuser alleges the discrepancy reflects an absence without leave lasting several months, a period of detention and a subsequent order to complete additional service.

Ahn and the Ministry of National Defense said he never deserted his unit and attribute irregularities in his military record to administrative errors.

The issue first drew wider attention during Ahn’s confirmation hearing as defense minister last year. Rejecting the allegations, Ahn told lawmakers he had never vacated his post.

“I never deserted (my post). I have lived my life without anything to be ashamed of,” Ahn told lawmakers. “The military record currently being managed does not accurately reflect what actually happened.”

Calling himself “a victim of administrative errors in the military manpower system,” Ahn said during his confirmation hearing on July 15, 2025, that it would be inappropriate for him, as the nominee for defense minister, to release his records himself.

According to Ahn, he was discharged on Jan. 4, 1985 after completing what he believed was his required service and returned to university. He said military authorities later notified him that several days spent under investigation did not count toward his service, requiring him to return to his unit during summer vacation to make up the shortfall.

Ahn said he served for about a month before being discharged again on Aug. 31, 1985. He argued that his record mistakenly counted the months he spent at university between the two discharge dates, resulting in about 22 months being recorded instead of the 14 months he actually served.

The minister also said he first became aware of the discrepancy when he ran for a third term in the National Assembly in 2016. He said he had believed he was discharged on Jan. 4, 1985 and had never been notified otherwise, but did not say who had confirmed the discharge.

Protesters call for the impeachment of Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back during a rally organized by the National Coalition of Security Civic Groups and other organizations in front of the War Memorial of Korea in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap

Kim Young-soo, who heads a civic group focused on public-interest whistleblowing and government transparency, disputes that account. Kim appeared before the police on Thursday after filing a complaint against Ahn for allegedly violating the Act on Testimony and Appraisal before the National Assembly.

“It is clear that he left his military post, was apprehended and detained, and later competed additional service,” Kim said.

Kim alleges Ahn was absent without leave for about seven months in 1984, was detained for 30 days and later served additional time equivalent to the period of his absence. He also accuses Ahn of giving false testimony during his confirmation hearing when he denied leaving his post.

The defense ministry has repeatedly rejected the allegations. At a regular briefing on July 13, ministry spokesperson Chung Binna said Ahn’s detailed military record includes his initial discharge in January 1985, as well as his recall and final discharge later that year.

“The minister completed his military service normally and the allegations are clearly false,” Chung said.

The ministry has defended its decision not to disclose the records, saying documents containing clerical errors dating back 40 years could create further misunderstanding.

The controversy has also raised questions about whether military authorities could legally recall a territorial defense soldier after discharge.

The Military Manpower Administration said the military service law that was in force at the time contained no provision governing such a recall. It said service management, including discharge procedures, was handled by the military, meaning any process would have been governed by internal military regulations. The agency said it could not verify those regulations or how they were applied four decades ago because they fell under the military’s jurisdiction.

The controversy has drawn no public response from President Lee Jae Myung, who has remained silent despite previously defending Unification Minister Chung Dong-young publicly when the opposition demanded his dismissal over remarks about a North Korean nuclear facility earlier this year.

Neither the president nor the presidential office has commented on the allegations surrounding Ahn.