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| Yoon Young-chan, chief press secretary of President Moon Jae-in, answers questions in a media briefing after the announcement of restructuring plans on the Defense Security Command, details of which were approved by the President, in Cheong Wa Dae, late Friday. Yonhap |
By Kim Yoo-chul
President Moon Jae-in ordered an overhaul of the scandal-hit defense military unit through establishment of a new military command, the president's chief press secretary said, Friday.
"President Moon Jae-in ordered a complete dismantling of the Defense Security Command (DSC) and for it to be renamed. The President reviewed all suggestions relating to the DSC reform submitted by a taskforce. Swift measures should be applied in a timely manner and we have to move very quickly to reform the DSC," the press secretary Yoon Young-chan told reporters in a briefing at Cheong Wa Dae.
As a follow-up measure, the President named Lieutenant General Nam Young-sin, who currently serves as a commander of the Army's Special Warfare Command, to lead the DSC replacing Lieutenant General Lee Suk-koo, who had led the military intelligence unit since September last year.
"The top priority should the new DSC chief perform is to create a body needed for the establishment of the new command and presidential decrees necessary for the new command," the press secretary said, adding functions of the heavily-restructured unit will be redesigned once the overhaul process relating to the unit is finalized.
On late Thursday, the taskforce delivered its recommendations to restructure DSC to Defense Minister Song Young-moo. Its proposals include a plan to cut the number of DSC personnel by 30 percent, preventing its political interference and putting it under the direct control of the defense minister.
The minister Song, however, didn't directly deliver the suggestions to the President, who is out for summer vacation until Aug. 5, as the defense ministry passed the files on to the Cheong Wa Dae National Security Office. "There was no face-to-face meeting over the issue between the President and Defense Minister Song," the secretary Yoon told reporters.
The President also ordered the new DSC chief to appoint a non-military inspector as soon as possible for thorough investigation on illegal activities within the military intelligence unit.
"If any irregularities or illegal activities are found during the probe, military personnel involved will be penalized regardless of their position," said the press secretary Yoon, adding all DSC personnel suspected of "political activities" will immediately be returned to their original units. The DSC consists of members sent from the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps as well as some public officials.
Earlier, the President hinted at a large-scale restructuring of the DSC after he was briefed on the specifics of a document titled "Wartime Martial Law and Joint Action Plan," a move aimed at quelling protesters if the Constitutional Court rejected former disgraced President Park Geun-hye's impeachment.
