Defense ministry dissolves military counterintelligence command

The Defense Ministry said Tuesday it will abolish the Military Counterintelligence Command, dismantling an organization that has long held broad investigative and security powers within the armed forces.

The restructuring, set to take effect July 31, distributes the command's former functions among three new entities to ensure the military intelligence apparatus can no longer intervene in politics. Minister Ahn Kyu-baik called the overhaul a historic turning point for building a "people's army" by fundamentally reshaping the organization's mission.

Under the new structure, counterintelligence and defense industry security duties will transfer to the newly created Defense Counterintelligence Headquarters, while internal security tasks will move to the Defense Security Support Group. Investigative authority, including joint powers during martial law, will reside with the newly formed Ministry of National Defense Investigation Headquarters.

The reform eliminates functions related to trend analysis, personnel espionage, and the collection of information on illegal activities or corruption. To strengthen democratic control, external senior audit officials will lead inspection offices within the new headquarters, and a compliance committee reporting directly to the minister will be established alongside enhanced reporting requirements to the National Assembly.

The government plans to enact legislation later this year to define the scope of counterintelligence activities and penalties for illegal conduct. The legislation accompanies a presidential decree repealing the ordinance governing the dissolved command and amending eleven other regulations.