An apparatus for enhancing readability of a character in a mobile terminal, the apparatus comprising: a histogram analysis unit for analyzing a color distribution histogram of a character image and classifying pixels of the character image into two color groups as a result; a background and character division unit for dividing the character image into a background and a character portion, based on the result of analyzing the histogram, wherein a color group of the classified two color groups including a smaller number of pixels corresponds to the character portion and a color group of the classified two color groups including a greater number of pixels corresponds to the background, and determining corresponding R, G, and B values for each of the background and the character; a readability calculation unit for calculating a readability value using the R, G, and B values of the background and the R, G, and B values of the character portion, and determining if the readability value is greater than or equal to a threshold value, wherein, if the readability value is not greater than or equal to the threshold value, the readability calculation unit repeatedly calculates the readability value while changing the R, G, and B values of the background and the R, G, and B values of the character portion until the calculated readability value is greater than or equal to the threshold value; a background color and character color determination unit for selecting the R, G, and B values of the background and the R, G, and B values of the character portion as a background color and a character portion color, respectively, when the readability value is greater than or equal to the threshold value; and a display unit for displaying the character image configured with the background color and the character portion color, wherein the background color and character color determination unit is further configured to compensate for pixel lightness by reducing backlighting of a Liquid Crystal Display, LCD, when the display unit corresponds to the LCD, and by controlling the R, G, and B values to have maximum lightness for at least one of the R, G, and B values, while maintaining the ratio of the R, G, and B values. a histogram analysis unit for analyzing a color distribution histogram of a character image and classifying pixels of the character image into two color groups as a result; a background and character division unit for dividing the character image into a background and a character portion, based on the result of analyzing the histogram, wherein a color group of the classified two color groups including a smaller number of pixels corresponds to the character portion and a color group of the classified two color groups including a greater number of pixels corresponds to the background, and determining corresponding R, G, and B values for each of the background and the character; a readability calculation unit for calculating a readability value using the R, G, and B values of the background and the R, G, and B values of the character portion, and determining if the readability value is greater than or equal to a threshold value, wherein, if the readability value is not greater than or equal to the threshold value, the readability calculation unit repeatedly calculates the readability value while changing the R, G, and B values of the background and the R, G, and B values of the character portion until the calculated readability value is greater than or equal to the threshold value; a background color and character color determination unit for selecting the R, G, and B values of the background and the R, G, and B values of the character portion as a background color and a character portion color, respectively, when the readability value is greater than or equal to the threshold value; and a display unit for displaying the character image configured with the background color and the character portion color, wherein the background color and character color determination unit is further configured to compensate for pixel lightness by reducing backlighting of a Liquid Crystal Display, LCD, when the display unit corresponds to the LCD, and by controlling the R, G, and B values to have maximum lightness for at least one of the R, G, and B values, while maintaining the ratio of the R, G, and B values.