NIS "Actively Cooperating by Forming TF for Civilian Surveillance Document Disclosure Request"

Park Ji-won "NIS Will Never Intervene in Politics"

Park Ji-won, Director of the National Intelligence Service, attended the full meeting of the Intelligence Committee held at the National Assembly on the 24th and responded to questions from lawmakers. Lawmakers from the People Power Party did not attend the opening of the full meeting in protest against the Democratic Party's proposed amendment to the National Intelligence Service Act, which includes a three-year grace period for abolishing the National Intelligence Service's counterintelligence investigation authority and transferring it to other agencies. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

The National Intelligence Service (NIS) announced on the 26th that it will form and operate a related task force (TF) to actively respond and cooperate with similar future information disclosure requests, following the provision of related documents to former Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education Superintendent Kwak Nohyeon and editorial cartoonist Park Jaedong, who were illegally surveilled by the NIS during the Lee Myung-bak administration.

The NIS explained, "The TF will be led by the Chief of the Planning and Coordination Office as team leader to ensure prompt, lawful, and unified handling of information disclosure requests, with participation from all NIS departments including legal staff."

The NIS plans to promptly handle any future disclosure requests for 'surveillance-related information' by individually reviewing them according to the standards set by the 'Act on Disclosure of Information by Public Agencies' and Supreme Court precedents.

The NIS stated, "Based on Supreme Court precedents, we intend to actively provide the parties with all 'surveillance-related information' except for matters related to official duties, state secrets, security issues, and third-party personal information."

Earlier, on the 18th, the NIS sent 34 documents, including information on the movements of the parties involved, to former Superintendent Kwak and cartoonist Park via registered mail. This action followed the Supreme Court's public ruling on the 12th regarding their 'surveillance-related information disclosure request.'

Meanwhile, Park Ji-won, the NIS Director who marked his 100th day in office on the 5th, has expressed his intention to swiftly promote reform legislation to ensure that the NIS never intervenes in domestic politics.

Upon his inauguration, he abolished the domestic intelligence officer system that had access to government agencies and media outlets in line with the Moon Jae-in administration’s reform policy that "the NIS does not intervene in politics." He also assigned lawyers as 'Compliance Officers' to each department to monitor legal compliance. Additionally, to strengthen the NIS’s scientific intelligence capabilities, he promoted the existing head of the Scientific Intelligence Bureau to the position of Third Deputy Director, empowering the role.

At a press briefing during the 2nd NIS-Prosecutor-Police Reform Strategy Meeting held at the Government Seoul Office briefing room on September 9, Director Park reiterated, "We will clearly establish by law that the NIS will never be involved in domestic politics under any circumstances."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.