A memory controller for controlling a memory device for storing data, the memory controller, the memory controller comprising: a request transmitter for providing a program suspend request for suspending a program operation, when the memory device receives a read request from a host while the memory device is performing the program operation and a command controller for generating and outputting a program suspend command, based on the program suspend request, and outputting a cache read command or normal read command, based on a number of commands corresponding to a request received from the host, which are queued in a command queue.