Abstract Anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) and rock magnetic studies have been carried out for the metasedimentary rocks in the central Okcheon Metamorphic Belt. The study area is divided into three metamorphic zones: the biotite zone, the garnet zone, and the sillimanite+andalusite zone from southeast to northwest. Magnetic foliation dipping to the northwest is the dominant magnetic fabric in the biotite zone. Magnetic lineation plunging down-dip of the vertical cleavage plane is appeared in the southeastern part of the garnet zone, while magnetic lineation plunging to southeast prevails in the middle and northwestern parts of the garnet zone. It is interpreted that this apparent synform structure, defined by AMS fabric data, was formed by successive top-to-the-southeast vergent thrusting followed by back-steepening process during the regional metamorphism in the Late Paleozoic. In the sillimanite + andalusite zone, AMS fabric is clearly defined and may reflect a tectonic fabric, recorded during the thermal metamorphism in the middle Jurassic, despite the scarcity of rock fabric in the field. The spatial distribution of magnetic mineralogy, defined by the rock magnetic results, implies the 500°C isotherm at the boundary between the biotite and garnet zones, which is associated with the transformation of pyrrhotite into magnetite above 500°C under the oxidizing condition.