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Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-baek (fifth from left) attends a plaque-unveiling ceremony marking the launch of the Defense Counterintelligence Command at its headquarters in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province on the 3rd, and poses for a commemorative photo with officials afterward. / Courtesy of the Ministry of National Defense

The Republic of Korea Defense Security Command was dissolved after 49 years. The counterintelligence, security, and security-investigation functions it had performed have been split and transferred to three separate organizations: the Defense Counterintelligence Command, the Defense Security Support Group, and the Security Investigation Division under the Ministry of National Defense Investigation Bureau.

At the launch ceremony for the Defense Counterintelligence Command held in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province on the 3rd, Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-baek said, "What we are parting ways with today is the dark legacy of a counterintelligence agency that strayed from its core mission and became a tool of power," adding, "We must cut out the roots of these bad practices with a determination to reform to the bone."

Minister Ahn added that the new organization "eliminates the potential for becoming an instrument of power at its root and has been redesigned as a specialized body that concentrates its capabilities on its core mission," stressing transparency, expertise, and the restoration of public trust.

The Ministry of National Defense described the reorganization as part of a state policy initiative aimed at addressing the wrongdoing of the Defense Security Command in connection with the December 3 illegal martial law, restoring public trust, and reforming the organization into a democratic one.

The Defense Counterintelligence Command will handle counterintelligence duties responding to intelligence activities by North Korea and foreign intelligence agencies targeting the military, as well as terrorist threats. It plans to expand its scope to include blocking leaks of military secrets and providing counterintelligence support for the maintenance, repair, and overhaul of U.S. Navy vessels and other key strategic assets. In the cyber domain, it will focus on establishing the Korean-style risk management framework, K-RMF, within the military and blocking cyber security threats.

The newly established Security Investigation Division under the Ministry of National Defense Investigation Bureau takes over the former Defense Security Command's security-investigation functions, handling security crimes such as espionage, leaks of military secrets, and acts benefiting the enemy. It plans to work with the Cyber Forensic Investigation Division to employ advanced investigative techniques such as digital forensics.

The Defense Security Support Group, established earlier on the 31st of last month, is dedicated to internal military security work, including central security audits of corps-level and higher units and investigations of security incidents. The aim is to separate counterintelligence and security functions to enhance objectivity and fairness in operations.

The Ministry of National Defense is also pursuing organizational and institutional reforms to strengthen investigative expertise, including restructuring its Investigation Review Office, Inspector General's Office, and Legal Affairs Office, and establishing a security investigation department at its investigator training institute.

Pyeon Moo-sam, who served as commander of the Defense Security Command until its dissolution and now heads the newly launched Defense Counterintelligence Command as its first director, said, "Our counterintelligence agency disappointed the public by carrying out duties beyond its proper role," adding, "We must eliminate any sense of privilege and root out any act that infringes on the public's human rights and basic rights."

                                                                                                            Lee Han-sol