All DSC members will return to original units

Aug 06, 2018, 08:05 am

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The Defense Security Command (DSC) will be disbanded and a new command will be created. All DSC members will return to their original bases during the disbandment, and some of them will selectively return to the new command. The photo shows the entrance of the DSC headquarters./ Source: Yonhap News

By AsiaToday reporter Joo Sung-sik

The Defense Security Command (DSC) will be disbanded and a new command will be created. All DSC members will return to their original bases during the disbandment, and some of them will selectively return to the new command.

According to the country's Defense Ministry on Sunday, the military intelligence unit will be dissolved on paper and all DSC members will return to their original bases - the Army, Air Force and Marine Corps. The move comes after the defense ministry announced its plan to cut the number of DSC members from the current 4,200 to 3,000 and replace existing military intelligence agents.

In this connection, President Moon Jae-in, who was on a five-day summer vacation from Monday, ordered Friday that all DSC officers accused of political activities and other irregularities be returned to their original units.

"Since the current DSC will be disbanded and a new unit will be created, all DSC members will return to their original outfits during its disbandment process," an official of the defense ministry said.

Along with the DSC disbandment, the establishment of a new command will take place at the same time. "The procedures to abolish the DSC and the process of establishing a new command and presidential decrees necessary for the new command will be carried out simultaneously," the official said.

Accordingly, some of the DSC members to be returned to their original bases will join the new command, which will be established when the new presidential decrees come into effect. Nearly 800 DSC members, which account for about 30% of the total DSC members, are expected to be kicked out. The move is in line with the recommendation from a reform panel formed by the defense ministry, which called for reducing the number of DSC personnel by more than 30 percent.

However, many observers say that very few of the DSC members would be able to join the new command. It means that many of the agents who were involved in illegal activities, such as civilian monitoring and political interventions, will be kicked out. Therefore, the new command, which will be comprised of 3,000 members, is highly likely to be filled with non-DSC members.

"We will reorganize the roles and functions of the DSC and improve its closed personnel system," said defense minister Song Young-moo during an inauguration ceremony for Lt. Gen. Nam Young-sin as the head of the Defense Security Command in the unit's headquarters on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the government is reportedly considering to appoint a non-military incumbent prosecutor as an inspection office chief to investigate the DSC. This comes after President Moon ordered to promptly appoint a non-military inspector chief to conduct a thorough investigation of illegal and corrupt acts within the organization.

#Defense Security Command #DSC reform #Moon Jae-in #defense ministry