An apparatus and method for removing a false contour are provided. The apparatus includes a false contour region detector which detects a false contour region formed in a flat region of similar pixel values; an edge and detail region detector which detects an edge region and a detail region of the input image; a detector which detects the flat region by removing the edge region and the detail region of the false contour region; and a smoothing part which smoothes the flat region with the false contour by shuffling the similar pixel values of the flat region with pixels of the detected false contour region. The method includes detecting a false contour region; detecting an edge region and a detail region; detecting a flat region with the false contour; and smoothing the flat region with the false contour by shuffling the similar pixel values.