National Security Office Appoints 28 Policy Advisory Members... Taking on 'Complex Security' Challenges

Director Kim Seong-han "Will Find Solutions to Serious Security Challenges"

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] On the 20th, the National Security Office held a commissioning ceremony and the first meeting for 28 policy advisory committee members at the Yongsan Army Officers' Club Yeonjegeun Hall, hosted by Kim Seong-han, Director of the National Security Office. The Yoon Seok-yeol administration's National Security Office appointed experts from various fields actively working in academia and think tanks as policy advisory committee members to effectively respond to the current complex security issues, including the increasing North Korean nuclear threat, economic security issues such as supply chain problems, and cyber security issues.

The policy advisory committee is composed of eight subcommittees: ▲Security Strategy ▲Regional Diplomacy ▲North Korea and Unification ▲Economic Security ▲Defense Policy ▲Defense Innovation ▲Cyber Security ▲Crisis Management. Each subcommittee will provide advisory activities on policy formulation and implementation and current issues of the National Security Office. The term of the first policy advisory committee of the National Security Office is one year.

The advisory committee is also expected to exchange diverse opinions regarding North Korea. Although President Yoon announced the bold initiative, a roadmap for peace on the Korean Peninsula, last year, North Korea has refused dialogue and increased the frequency and intensity of provocations such as missile launches. Last year, North Korea fired a record 68 missiles in 41 launches, including eight intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).

It is also anticipated that diplomatic solutions will be sought in response to the need for trilateral cooperation among South Korea, the United States, and Japan according to the security situation, and the increasing importance of supply chain and economic security due to global bloc formation. During his visits to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Switzerland last month, President Yoon emphasized himself as "South Korea's No. 1 salesperson" and demonstrated an active economic diplomacy approach, continuously urging the government to foster future industries such as AI, semiconductors, and aerospace.

The advisory committee's opinions are expected to influence the timing and destinations of President Yoon's overseas visits this year. Inside and outside diplomatic and political circles, there is talk of a state visit to the United States as early as April to mark the 70th anniversary of the South Korea-U.S. alliance. Following that, there is also a possibility of visiting Japan in May to attend the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Hiroshima, invited by the host country Japan.

At the commissioning ceremony, Director Kim said, "We will move away from the conventional formal policy advisory committee system and ensure that opinions from official and unofficial meetings are actually referenced in policy," adding, "The collective intelligence of the advisory committee members will devise solutions to the grave security challenges."