The Ministry of National Defense said Monday it held a launch ceremony for the new Defense Counterintelligence Headquarters in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, under the supervision of Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back.
The move marks the formal breakup of the Defense Counterintelligence Command’s main powers, which had long been concentrated in a single organization. The former command handled counterintelligence, military security and security investigations, giving it broad authority inside the armed forces.
Under the new structure, those three functions have been divided among separate organizations.
The Defense Counterintelligence Headquarters will take over counterintelligence duties. The Defense Security Support Group will handle military security affairs. A new Security Investigation Bureau under the Defense Ministry’s Investigation Headquarters will be responsible for investigating crimes that threaten national security.
The reorganization follows months of scrutiny over the former counterintelligence command, which was accused of involvement in Yoon’s short-lived martial law bid in December 2024. The Defense Ministry has said the command’s core functions would be dispersed to prevent unchecked authority and improve political neutrality.
Its duties will include responding to intelligence operations by North Korea and foreign actors against the South Korean military, as well as counterterrorism threats. It will also focus on preventing leaks of military secrets and providing counterintelligence support for new areas such as maintenance, repair and overhaul work for U.S. Navy vessels and the protection of key strategic assets.
The ministry said controversial functions previously linked to the counterintelligence command, including monitoring military trends, gathering personnel intelligence and collecting information on misconduct or corruption for power-related purposes, have been institutionally abolished.
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