Prime Minister Han: "Reviewing Alternatives to Transfer National Intelligence Service's Counterintelligence Investigation Authority Without Weakening Capability"

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo stated on the 12th that regarding the transfer of the National Intelligence Service's counterintelligence investigation authority to the police, "We must seriously, actively, and carefully consider alternatives to fundamentally ensure that counterintelligence investigation capabilities are not weakened."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the same day, Prime Minister Han appeared at the National Assembly's interpellation session on politics, diplomacy, unification, and security, and in response to a related question from Kim Seung-soo of the People Power Party, he emphasized, "We must fully prepare for the issues that may arise during the (counterintelligence investigation authority) transition process."

Prime Minister Han explained, "Counterintelligence investigation is absolutely necessary. It is an essential function to maintain our system," adding, "Unlike general investigations, it requires a great deal of intelligence elements and takes a long time."

Prime Minister Han also expressed agreement with the remarks made by Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon on this issue. Earlier, Minister Han expressed concerns during the interpellation session, stating, "If the National Intelligence Service's counterintelligence investigation authority is abolished, there will be a significant gap in counterintelligence investigations," showing apprehension about transferring the authority to the police.

Meanwhile, regarding allegations of preferential hiring of children of senior officials at the National Election Commission, Prime Minister Han said, "Strong external checks and audits are absolutely necessary to uncover and improve wrongful issues," adding, "It is regrettable that such systems were not established and enforced earlier."

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