To determine whether the enhanced UV-B causes oxidative stress, and to test the relationship between plant growth response and biochemical defense response to UV-B, two soybean plants, Keunolkong, a highly UV-B susceptible cultivar, and Danyeubkong, a less UV-B susceptible cultivar, were subjected to the enhanced UV-B [daily dose : 0.06 (control) and 11.32 (enhanced UV-B) kJ $m^{-2}$ ; $UV-B_{BE}$] for 3 weeks. Contents of malondialdehyde and total carotenold were increased in Keunolkong compared with Danyeubkong by UV-B. In control plants, ascorbate level of Danyeubkong was 3 times higher than that of Keunolkong. The ratio of dehydroascorbate/ascorbate was highly increased in Keunolkong by UV-B . The activities of antioxidative enzyme such as superoxide dismutase, ascorbate peroxidase, monodehydroascorbate reductase and glutathione reductase were increased in both cultivars by UV-B. This results indicate that enhanced UV-B caused oxidative stress in both two cultivars, especially in Keunolkong. Susceptibility of two soybean cultivars to UV-B is closely related to the levels of antioxidants such as carotenoid and ascorbate.