[Profile] Kim Kyuhyun, Nominee for NIS Director... Security Expert and Former Diplomat in Charge of the US

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] Kim Kyu-hyun, the former first deputy director of the National Security Office at the Blue House, who has been nominated as the first director of the National Intelligence Service under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, is a diplomat primarily responsible for U.S. affairs and an expert in diplomacy and security who has worked extensively in both the Ministry of National Defense and the Blue House during previous administrations.

He is considered a unique case among diplomats, having passed the 14th Foreign Service Examination in 1980 while studying at Seoul National University’s College of Dentistry and entering public service.

At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he mainly handled U.S.-related affairs, serving as head of the North America Division 1, counselor at the North America Bureau, and minister-counselor at the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the United States.

During the Roh Moo-hyun administration, from 2006 to 2007, he was dispatched to the Ministry of National Defense as the International Cooperation Officer, where he handled defense issues between South Korea and the U.S., including the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON).

Under the Park Geun-hye administration, he served as the first vice minister of foreign affairs, first deputy director of the National Security Office, and presidential foreign and security advisor as well as second deputy director of the National Security Office. While serving as the first deputy director of the Security Office, he acted as the chief representative in high-level inter-Korean talks and directly negotiated with the North Korean side.

There is also an assessment that President Yoon Suk-yeol’s intention is reflected in appointing a figure who has built expertise and international sensibility through diverse experiences in diplomacy, defense, and inter-Korean relations as the head of the intelligence agency. This is considered unusual since past directors of the National Intelligence Service were typically close confidants of the president or influential politicians, making the appointment of a diplomat an exceptional case.

If Kim passes the parliamentary confirmation hearing and officially assumes office, it is expected that he will seek organizational changes to focus the National Intelligence Service on overseas intelligence operations, similar to Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad.

He is also reported to have expressed to those around him the opinion that the National Intelligence Service needs to transform like Mossad, which has a strong sense of national identity, and that it should be normalized to its core function as an intelligence agency, becoming an organization capable of looking far and deep.

▲ Seoul (69) ▲ Gyeonggi High School ▲ Seoul National University College of Dentistry ▲ 14th Foreign Service Examination ▲ Head of North America Division 1 ▲ Minister-Counselor at the U.S. Embassy ▲ Counselor at the North America Bureau ▲ International Cooperation Officer at the Ministry of National Defense ▲ Minister at the U.S. Embassy ▲ Special Advisor to the Minister ▲ Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs ▲ First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs ▲ First Deputy Director of the National Security Office ▲ Second Deputy Director of the National Security Office and Presidential Foreign and Security Advisor

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