The present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for driving an AC PDP, where background luminance is reduced and the time required for a reset period is shortened while the stability and an address margin are sufficiently maintained, thus improving reset performance. The present invention provides a method of driving an Alternating Current (AC) Plasma Display Panel (PDP) comprising the steps of: applying a drive signal including a plurality of successive short pulses during the reset period; addressing at least a part of the discharge cells by applying data pulses to at least a part of said electrodes to enable selective discharge of said discharge cells according to image data during the address period; wherein, during the reset period, the plurality of short pulses form a plurality of discharges each duration of which is limited; and wherein a standardized wall charge is formed in each of the discharge cells due to the plurality of discharges so that the selective discharge is easily generated by application of data pulses during the address period.