The Defense Counterintelligence Command Expands Surveillance Targets for 'Defense Industry Confidential Leaks'

Notice of Amendment to Headquarters Regulations
Specification of Satellite and Encryption Security Tasks
Abolition of '30% Civilian Quota'

Entrance of the Defense Counterintelligence Command
[Photo by Defense Counterintelligence Command]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hee-jun] The scope of security duties of the Republic of Korea Military Counterintelligence Command (hereinafter referred to as the Counterintelligence Command) will be expanded to explicitly include cyber, cryptography, electromagnetic waves, and satellites, thereby broadening the surveillance targets for military defense industry secrets leakage.

The Ministry of National Defense announced the legislative notice of the amendment to the Military Counterintelligence Command Ordinance on the 14th. The Ministry stated that the amendment is being pursued in response to the expanding security and counterintelligence domain in new technology fields and the increasing need to protect defense industry technology in the security environment.

According to the amendment, cyber, cryptography, electromagnetic waves, and satellite fields will be added to the military security duties. Currently, the military security duties in the Counterintelligence Command Ordinance are broadly expressed as facilities, documents, and information communication. It has been unclear whether new technology fields such as satellites and electromagnetic waves are included in the Counterintelligence Command’s duties.

A Ministry of National Defense official explained the purpose of the amendment, stating, "Considering the recent expansion of the security duties spectrum beyond traditional facility and document security or routine information communication into cyber and space domains, as well as the importance of security duties."

The Counterintelligence Command’s intelligence activities to prevent leakage of defense industry secrets will also be expanded.

The amendment explicitly provides grounds for conducting preventive activities to ensure that military secrets such as defense industry technology are not leaked, and includes provisions allowing intelligence activities to detect illegal acts and corruption targeting personnel working in defense project-related institutions.

Under the current Counterintelligence Command Ordinance, the Counterintelligence Command can conduct intelligence activities such as monitoring leakage of secrets targeting military personnel and civilian employees, but civilians affiliated with the Ministry of National Defense, Defense Acquisition Program Administration, Agency for Defense Development (ADD), and Defense Technology Quality Institute are not subject to surveillance.

However, as concerns over leakage of secrets have increased with the development of Korea’s defense industry and actual corruption cases have continued, the plan is to include defense project workers as subjects of intelligence activities. The Counterintelligence Command explained that personnel working in defense companies, specialized research institutions, and non-profit organizations are explicitly excluded from intelligence activities to avoid controversy over civilian surveillance by the military.

Meanwhile, the amendment also removed the provision that forced the civilian ratio to be at least 30%. The Ministry of National Defense plans to implement the amended Counterintelligence Command Ordinance within the year after collecting opinions during the legislative notice period.

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