Cho Tae-yong, New NIS Director: "I Will Build a Trusted and Strong NIS"

President Yoon Suk-yeol is taking a commemorative photo after presenting the appointment letter to Cho Tae-yong, Director of the National Intelligence Service, at the Presidential Office building in Yongsan, Seoul, on the 16th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Jo Tae-yong, the newly appointed Director of the National Intelligence Service (NIS), said, "Let us start together today the effort to build a stronger NIS that is trusted by the people."

At the inauguration ceremony held on the 17th, Director Jo stated, "North Korea is becoming more blatant in its ambitions to advance its nuclear and missile capabilities and put them into practical use, while diplomatic and security issues such as the US-China strategic competition are piling up."

Regarding the abolition of the NIS's counterintelligence investigation authority, he said, "There is a crucial task to ensure that not even a momentary gap occurs in protecting the liberal democratic system."

Director Jo urged the staff to once again reflect on the patriotism, sense of national duty, adversary perspective, and sense of mission they had when they first joined the NIS.

He also called for strengthening strategic mindset and expertise to read the flow of change and prepare for the future in this era of complex crises where security and economy are intertwined.

He pledged to communicate so that employees can unite their hearts and work as 'one team,' and to ensure fair personnel management so that staff can focus solely on their duties.

Jo, who comes from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said, "The NIS has been a reliable comrade guarding the fierce battlefield of diplomacy together," and added, "I was deeply impressed by the passion and dedication of the NIS employees."

He further added, "Let us recall the motto, 'We work in the shadows but aim for the light,' and vigorously advance for the development of the Republic of Korea and the NIS."

Director Jo was appointed as the second NIS director under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration after serving as the Director of the National Security Office at the Presidential Office. He passed the 14th Foreign Service Examination and served as a member of the 21st National Assembly and the 27th Ambassador to the United States.