This paper presents the characteristic analysis and the optimal design of a permanent magnetic actuator (PMA) for a vacuum circuit breaker (VCB) using a two-dimensional finite element analysis. The purpose of this research about a PMA is to minimize the breaking time and the volume of the permanent magnet within the limits of the holding force and maximum current in the coil. The conjugate gradient method is used as an optimization algorithm. The node moving technique is iteratively implemented until the design variables of the PMA are optimized. In this paper, the optimal design of a PMA is accomplished to improve the conventional design methods.