In the zigzag milling of a pocket having islands, tool retraction is one of the primary factors that decrease productivity. Therefore, tool path with minimum number of tool retraction has been needed. Most researches about this topic have been concentrated on obtaining the optimum solution formulated through the geometric reasoning off pocket. Recently, several attempts were made to simplify this problem into region partitioning in order to get the numerically expressed minimum solution. In this research, a method reducing the number of tool retractions extended from existing region partitioning is provided. Applying the segment that is normal to the reference direction of zigzag milling, region partitioning is carried out and structural elements of the region are searched via graphs of islands and characteristic points. Through the processes presented, the number of region partitioned is less than that of existing processes.