Park Ji-won "No Political Interference... National Intelligence Service Reform Finally Complete"

"Will Be Subject to Democratic Control by the National Assembly"

Park Ji-won, Director of the National Intelligence Service, attending the full meeting of the Intelligence Committee held at the National Assembly on the 27th of last month / Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

Park Ji-won, Director of the National Intelligence Service (NIS), stated on the 16th, "The reform of the NIS, which previous administrations attempted but left incomplete, has finally been completed," adding, "There will be absolutely no political interference going forward."

Director Park made these remarks during a joint briefing on the reform of power institutions held at the Government Seoul Office in the afternoon, attended by the NIS Director, Minister of Justice, and Minister of the Interior and Safety, emphasizing that the reform of the NIS has been finalized through laws and systems.

Regarding the amendment to the NIS Act passed by the National Assembly on the 13th, Director Park evaluated, "For the first time since the establishment of the Central Intelligence Agency in 1961, the NIS clearly defines what it 'should do' and 'should not do.'"

In particular, on the issue of the NIS's involvement in domestic politics, he stressed, "The 'domestic security information' has been removed from the existing scope of duties, organizations that raised concerns about political interference have been dismantled, and it is now fundamentally impossible to establish such organizations."

He also explained, "For critical national security matters, the NIS will report to the National Assembly, enabling democratic control by the National Assembly as the representative institution of the people."

Regarding the transfer of counterintelligence investigative authority to the police, he said, "The principle of separating intelligence collection and investigation has been realized in counterintelligence investigations, eliminating the possibility of human rights violations," adding, "We will further strengthen cooperation with related agencies to ensure there are no gaps in national security investigations and will also consider establishing a dedicated organization."

Furthermore, he promised, "We will fully cooperate in uncovering the truth to ensure that suspicions related to the NIS, such as the May 18 incident, Sewol ferry disaster, online comment manipulation cases, and civilian surveillance, are never raised again."

Director Park pledged that the NIS will "transform into the world's leading intelligence agency specializing in North Korea and overseas intelligence."

He stated, "We will enhance scientific intelligence capabilities such as AI (artificial intelligence) and artificial satellites, protect national interests by preventing espionage and industrial technology leaks, and focus our capabilities on responding to hacking and cyberterrorism to protect the people, the nation, and businesses."

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