Defense ministry dismantles counterintelligence command

The defense ministry said it will dismantle the Defense Counterintelligence Command and redistribute its functions among three new organizations. The presidential decree, promulgated July 28, takes effect July 31.

Under the reorganization, counterintelligence, defense industry intelligence and cybersecurity duties will move to the newly created Defense Counterintelligence Headquarters. Internal security tasks will shift to the Defense Security Support Group, while investigation powers including joint inquiry authority during martial law situations will belong to the Ministry of National Defense Investigation Headquarters.

To reinforce these safeguards, the government will appoint senior external audit officials as heads of the inspection offices within both the new counterintelligence and investigation headquarters. A compliance and monitoring committee reporting directly to the defense minister will also be established. Personnel involved in the recent martial law incident or other misconduct will be excluded from the new organizations, which will instead recruit staff based on political neutrality and professional competency.

The reform abolishes functions related to trend analysis, personnel espionage and the collection of information on illegal activities or corruption. "The reorganization plan goes beyond simple organizational changes to restructure the mission so that our military intelligence agency can never again intervene in politics," Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-baek said, calling it a historic turning point in building a people-centered military.

Looking ahead, the ministry plans to push for the enactment of a tentative law titled the Military Counterintelligence Unit Member Duty Performance Act within this year to define the scope of counterintelligence activities and establish penalties for illegal operations. The current decree also amends eleven other presidential ordinances, including the Enforcement Decree of the Anti-Terrorism Act, to replace references to the abolished command with the names of the new bodies.