President Yoon Accepts Resignation of Cho Sang-jun, Director General of the National Intelligence Service Policy Office (Comprehensive)

NIS Official Comments on Director Cho's Resignation as "Personal Reasons"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] Cho Sang-jun, Director of Planning and Coordination at the National Intelligence Service (NIS), stepped down after just over four months in office.

According to a presidential office official on the 26th, President Yoon Suk-yeol accepted Cho's resignation letter, which was submitted to the NIS the previous day.

Regarding Cho's submission of his resignation to the NIS on the 25th, a day before the NIS hearing by the National Assembly Intelligence Committee, an NIS official only stated, "It is understood to be for personal reasons."

Cho is considered a close aide to President Yoon Suk-yeol, along with Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon and others.

In particular, his connection with President Yoon began during the 2006 investigation by the Supreme Prosecutors' Office's Central Investigation Department into the undervalued sale of Korea Exchange Bank to Lone Star. Later, in 2019, during the investigation of Justice Minister Cho Kuk's family, he served as the head of the Criminal Affairs Department at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, assisting then-Prosecutor General Yoon Suk-yeol.

In January 2020, during the first prosecution personnel reshuffle by then-Justice Minister Choo Mi-ae, Cho was effectively demoted to Deputy Chief Prosecutor at the Seoul High Prosecutors' Office, and he left the prosecution in July of the same year.

When President Yoon appointed Cho as Director of Planning and Coordination at the NIS in June, it was seen as a move to initiate reforms within the NIS.

Following his resignation, Cho reportedly did not attend the scheduled NIS hearing by the National Assembly Intelligence Committee on the same day.

Since the exact reasons behind Cho's resignation, who oversaw the NIS organization, personnel, and budget, have not been disclosed, it is expected that lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties will question the background of his resignation during the hearing.

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