[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Park Ji-won, Director of the National Intelligence Service (NIS), will mark his first anniversary in office on the 29th.
One of Director Park's major achievements is the reform of the NIS. Since his inauguration, Director Park has presented reform directions to NIS employees such as "a competent NIS," "an NIS moving toward the future," and "an NIS as warm as home."
Director Park's reform will led to a complete revision of the NIS Act for the first time in 57 years since 1963. The "Complete Revision of the NIS Act," passed by the National Assembly plenary session last December, stipulates "political neutrality" as the principle of NIS operation, removes the domestic security information sector from its duties, and adds "overseas-linked economic and defense industry counterintelligence" and "cyber and space information."
Support for data related to uncovering the truth about past incidents such as the May 18 Democratic Movement and the Sewol Ferry disaster was also provided. Since Director Park's inauguration, the NIS has provided the May 18 Truth Commission with 101 documents totaling 6,888 pages and 258 photo and video materials in four rounds.
The NIS also supported the Social Disaster Special Investigation Commission (SDSIC) by allowing access to approximately 680,000 Sewol-related data stored on the NIS servers, and provided the Busan-Masan Democratic Uprising Truth Commission and the Review Committee for the Restoration of Honor of Related Persons with 132 related documents totaling 1,447 pages.
Efforts to strengthen balanced personnel appointments through the expansion of female executive appointments are also underway. In August 2020, shortly after Director Park's inauguration, the first female deputy director in the 60-year history of the NIS was appointed, and recently, the first female senior director was also appointed. This year, the proportion of female executives within the NIS has increased more than fourfold compared to five years ago.
Director Park has also actively utilized his extensive overseas network built through his long public service career as Presidential Chief of Staff and National Assembly member to engage with high-ranking officials from various countries.
In November 2020 and May of this year, when Korea-Japan relations were at their worst, he met Prime Minister Suga twice to convey the Moon Jae-in administration's willingness to normalize Korea-Japan relations, and in May, he attended the Korea-US-Japan intelligence chiefs meeting held in Tokyo, where he met Avril Haines, U.S. Director of National Intelligence (DNI), and Takizawa, Japan's Cabinet Intelligence Officer. At the end of May, he visited the U.S. and also made contact with the U.S. intelligence community.
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