“The establishment of the Defense Counterintelligence Agency marks a turning point in ending the dark history of being a tool of power and completing the reconstruction of the 'military of the people.' You must prove yourselves as the 'people's counterintelligence agency' that the citizens can trust and rely on.”
Ahn Gyu-baek, Minister of National Defense, made these remarks during the establishment ceremony of the Defense Counterintelligence Agency held at the headquarters in Gwacheon on August 3. He stated, “What we are parting with today is the entire dark past of the counterintelligence agency that became a 'tool of power' from the May 16 military coup to the December 12 coup, the May 17 martial law, and the December 3 insurrection.”
In line with the disbandment of the Military Counterintelligence Command (CIC), three new organizations, including the Defense Counterintelligence Agency, were officially established to take over the existing CIC's responsibilities.
The three key functions of counterintelligence, security, and security investigations, which were previously concentrated in the CIC, have been transferred to the newly established Defense Counterintelligence Agency, the Defense Security Support Group, and the Security Investigation Division within the Defense Investigation Agency.
Minister Ahn emphasized, “We have designed the Defense Counterintelligence Agency as a specialized organization that fundamentally abolishes the function of power and concentrates its capabilities on its original mission.”
Major General Pyeon Mu-sam, who previously served as the commander of the CIC, has been appointed as the acting head of the Defense Counterintelligence Agency. He is expected to be formally appointed as the head of the agency soon.
Pyeon Mu-sam stated, “Over the past 20 months, we have deeply reflected on the illegal martial law of December 3, but we lost the trust of the people and fell into deep self-reproach. We worried about the identity and existence of our unit, and many colleagues had to leave without their positive functions and good missions being recognized.”
He added, “While we cannot turn back the past marred by the illegal martial law of December 3, we can all work together to create a just and clear future for the Defense Counterintelligence Agency. I will do my utmost to uphold constitutional values and transform it into an elite counterintelligence agency trusted by the people.”
The Defense Counterintelligence Agency aims to enhance its core functions and evolve into a specialized military counterintelligence organization. It plans to strengthen counterintelligence capabilities against North Korea and foreign military intelligence activities, as well as terrorist threats, while focusing on preventing military secrets from leaking in the defense sector. The agency will also explore new areas of work, including counterintelligence support for U.S. Navy vessels' maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) and key strategic assets.
In the cyber domain, the agency will support the implementation of the Korean Risk Management Framework (RMF) within the military and focus on blocking security threats in cyberspace, including advanced technology security support involving artificial intelligence (AI) and satellites.
The newly established Defense Security Support Group is an independent and specialized organization that takes over the security functions of the CIC. It will be responsible for central security audits and security incident investigations for units at the corps level and above, ensuring military security and the protection of military secrets.
The Security Investigation Division, newly established within the Defense Investigation Agency, will handle the security investigation functions of the CIC. This division will combine the investigative expertise of the Defense Investigation Agency with the security investigation capabilities of the CIC to investigate crimes that threaten national security, such as espionage, military secret leaks, and treasonous acts.
The Defense Counterintelligence Agency, the Defense Investigation Agency, and the Defense Security Support Group will continue to operate a 'Security Investigation Council' to share information and intelligence related to security investigations and to cooperate in joint responses with relevant agencies.
The functions related to monitoring and personnel intelligence, as well as the collection of illegal and corrupt information that had repeatedly caused controversy within the CIC, have been institutionally abolished.
Ahn Gyu-baek, Minister of National Defense, made these remarks during the establishment ceremony of the Defense Counterintelligence Agency held at the headquarters in Gwacheon on August 3. He stated, “What we are parting with today is the entire dark past of the counterintelligence agency that became a 'tool of power' from the May 16 military coup to the December 12 coup, the May 17 martial law, and the December 3 insurrection.”
In line with the disbandment of the Military Counterintelligence Command (CIC), three new organizations, including the Defense Counterintelligence Agency, were officially established to take over the existing CIC's responsibilities.
The three key functions of counterintelligence, security, and security investigations, which were previously concentrated in the CIC, have been transferred to the newly established Defense Counterintelligence Agency, the Defense Security Support Group, and the Security Investigation Division within the Defense Investigation Agency.
Minister Ahn emphasized, “We have designed the Defense Counterintelligence Agency as a specialized organization that fundamentally abolishes the function of power and concentrates its capabilities on its original mission.”
Major General Pyeon Mu-sam, who previously served as the commander of the CIC, has been appointed as the acting head of the Defense Counterintelligence Agency. He is expected to be formally appointed as the head of the agency soon.
Pyeon Mu-sam stated, “Over the past 20 months, we have deeply reflected on the illegal martial law of December 3, but we lost the trust of the people and fell into deep self-reproach. We worried about the identity and existence of our unit, and many colleagues had to leave without their positive functions and good missions being recognized.”
He added, “While we cannot turn back the past marred by the illegal martial law of December 3, we can all work together to create a just and clear future for the Defense Counterintelligence Agency. I will do my utmost to uphold constitutional values and transform it into an elite counterintelligence agency trusted by the people.”
The Defense Counterintelligence Agency aims to enhance its core functions and evolve into a specialized military counterintelligence organization. It plans to strengthen counterintelligence capabilities against North Korea and foreign military intelligence activities, as well as terrorist threats, while focusing on preventing military secrets from leaking in the defense sector. The agency will also explore new areas of work, including counterintelligence support for U.S. Navy vessels' maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) and key strategic assets.
In the cyber domain, the agency will support the implementation of the Korean Risk Management Framework (RMF) within the military and focus on blocking security threats in cyberspace, including advanced technology security support involving artificial intelligence (AI) and satellites.
The newly established Defense Security Support Group is an independent and specialized organization that takes over the security functions of the CIC. It will be responsible for central security audits and security incident investigations for units at the corps level and above, ensuring military security and the protection of military secrets.
The Security Investigation Division, newly established within the Defense Investigation Agency, will handle the security investigation functions of the CIC. This division will combine the investigative expertise of the Defense Investigation Agency with the security investigation capabilities of the CIC to investigate crimes that threaten national security, such as espionage, military secret leaks, and treasonous acts.
The Defense Counterintelligence Agency, the Defense Investigation Agency, and the Defense Security Support Group will continue to operate a 'Security Investigation Council' to share information and intelligence related to security investigations and to cooperate in joint responses with relevant agencies.
The functions related to monitoring and personnel intelligence, as well as the collection of illegal and corrupt information that had repeatedly caused controversy within the CIC, have been institutionally abolished.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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