Ministry of National Defense to Reorganize Military Intelligence and Investigative Agencies by 2027

Reorganization of Defense Counterintelligence Command and Intelligence Command
that Led the December 3 Martial Law

The Ministry of National Defense will begin reorganizing the military intelligence and investigative agencies that led the December 3 Martial Law by 2027.

On October 13, during a work report at the National Assembly National Defense Committee's audit held at the Ministry of National Defense headquarters in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, the ministry announced these plans.

In the case of the Defense Counterintelligence Command, concerns have been raised about its excessive authority across various areas, including intelligence collection, investigations, background checks, and personnel intelligence. To address this, the ministry plans to transfer, adjust, or abolish overlapping functions to similar agencies and reorganize the Defense Counterintelligence Command into a unit specialized in counterintelligence activities.

As the first phase this year, the ministry will establish a Military Counterintelligence and Security Redesign Subcommittee (chaired by former Korea National Diplomatic Academy President Hong Hyun-ik) under the Civil-Military Joint Special Committee for Overcoming Insurrection and Designing Future Defense. This subcommittee will develop rational reorganization plans for the structure and functions of the agencies. In the second phase next year, the ministry plans to implement follow-up measures such as revising laws and regulations, relocating facilities, and adjusting budgets to complete the reorganization of the Defense Counterintelligence Command.

For the military intelligence agencies, including the Defense Intelligence Headquarters and the Intelligence Command, the reorganization will optimize the structure by adjusting the complex and closed organizational and command structures and integrating similar or overlapping missions of subordinate intelligence units. In the first phase, by next year, the dual appointment of the heads of the Defense Intelligence Headquarters and the Joint Chiefs of Staff Intelligence Headquarters will be separated, and human intelligence units such as HID will be moved from the Intelligence Command to be under the Defense Intelligence Headquarters.

In the second phase, by 2027, the ministry plans to integrate similar and overlapping missions and functions of subordinate intelligence units under the Defense Intelligence Headquarters. The ministry stated, "We will reorganize the Defense Counterintelligence Command, Defense Intelligence Headquarters, Intelligence Command, and other military intelligence and investigative agencies so that, as members of national defense, they can focus on their core missions while maintaining political neutrality."

Meanwhile, regarding North Korea's response to the tension-easing measures taken by the Lee Jaemyung administration, the ministry assessed, "North Korea continues to take physical disconnection measures and refuses to engage in dialogue with us." However, the ministry also noted, "We have observed some positive responses, such as the suspension of loudspeaker broadcasts toward the South and two notifications related to construction in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) sent to our side."