Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back, South Korea's first civilian defense minister in 64 years, has drawn attention inside and outside the military since April by personally visiting front-line units to hold a series of "special lectures on strengthening command capabilities" for field commanders. Emphasizing "communication and empathy" as the foremost virtue a commander should possess, the minister has worked to broaden contact with the field.
Now the minister is drawing attention again by personally presenting a list of "must-read books," arguing that commanders should take the lead in the Ministry of National Defense's project to promote reading in the barracks, called "A Gun in One Hand, a Book in the Other." Ahn selected 12 Eastern and Western classics on leadership, strategy and the wisdom of insight — including "The War Diary" and "On War" — as required reading for commanders.
Ahn believes that to promote reading in the barracks, the military must transform into an organization that reads, from new recruits to the minister. Stressing that commanders and officers must first recognize the importance of reading and put it into practice, Ahn said, "If commanders and officers develop a reading habit, barracks culture will surely change into one that reads."
The 12 recommended books Ahn selected for commanders fall broadly into three categories.
The first category includes "The Art of War," the foremost Eastern military strategy text written by Sun Tzu, a military strategist of the Spring and Autumn period; the "Analects," which records the words and deeds of Confucius and his disciples; the "Han Feizi," written by the Warring States-era Legalist thinker Han Fei; "Mencius," a Confucian text that inherited Confucius's philosophy of benevolence (ren) and advocated a righteous kingly rule based on benevolence and righteousness; "On War," the bible of military strategy written by the Prussian soldier Carl von Clausewitz based on his experience in the Napoleonic Wars; and Karl Jaspers's "The Great Philosophers," a classic of world philosophical history surveying the masters of Eastern and Western thought.
The next category includes "Admonitions on Governing the People," an administrative guide for provincial officials written in exile by Jeong Yak-yong, a Silhak scholar of the late Joseon period; "The Book of Corrections," a historical account of the horrors of the seven-year war written by Ryu Seong-ryong, the chief state councilor who directly commanded during the Japanese invasions of Korea; "The War Diary," a war journal written by Admiral Yi Sun-sin himself during the Japanese invasions; and "Baekbeom Ilji," the autobiography of independence activist Kim Gu recording his life from childhood to his time as chairman of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea. These two categories mainly comprise books regarded as timeless Eastern and Western classics.
In addition, the minister presented books from another category as required reading for commanders, including Lin Yutang's "The Importance of Living," an essay collection in which the Chinese writer leisurely explores how one should live to be happy, and Lee O-young's "When a Single Leaf Trembles," a prose collection weaving together the author's autobiographical essays and his theories of poetry and literature.
Explaining the reasoning behind his selection of the 12 books, Ahn said, "Everyone has probably heard at least the titles of these Eastern and Western classics that transcend time and space." He added, "Humanities classics that contain the wisdom and philosophy of sages are difficult to read at first, but the more you read them repeatedly, the more they cultivate deep thinking and insight — so field commanders truly need to read them."
Going forward, the Ministry of National Defense plans to expand the distribution of good books with determination even under difficult conditions — like the idiom "hyeongseoljigong," which describes people of old who achieved their aims by reading with the light of fireflies and snow — and to continue improving barracks library environments. In particular, the ministry aims to encourage barracks reading culture to support soldiers' self-development and life planning while also contributing to national competitiveness.
"I am confident that reading will be a driving force that improves national competitiveness, as well as individual growth and the development of the military," Ahn said. "I hope all units will pursue the 'One Gun, One Book' project with substance rather than treating it as a formality."
He also said, "To spread barracks reading culture, I want commanders and officers to read the recommended books first and set an example for their subordinates by growing themselves." He added, "We will spare no support in transforming our military into an organization where everyone, from new recruits to the minister, reads together."
Meanwhile, the Ministry of National Defense has been pursuing the "One Gun, One Book" project since April, an idea proposed by President Lee Jae-myung. Recruits bring a book they want to read when they enter the Army Training Center or recruit training units, and are given a book of their choice again upon completing training. The goal is to establish a reading culture throughout the barracks so that soldiers can gain opportunities for self-development and life planning through reading.
To promote barracks reading, the ministry plans to run various programs so that reading begins at the recruit training stage and continues while soldiers serve at their assigned units. These include book-report competitions in various formats such as short-form videos, a barracks literary award contest, expert reading-coaching lectures, support for requested books, and book concerts that visit remote units lacking cultural infrastructure.
