By Jun Ji-hye
The National Intelligence Service (NIS) is being ridiculed after it was found that its information on a top North Korean military officer was wrong.
The spy agency had announced that Ri Yong-gil, a former Korean People's Army (KPA) chief, had been executed. However, following the ruling Workers' Party Congress, North Korea announced Ri as one of the nine alternate members of the political bureau of the party.
This was not the first time that the South Korean spy agency has given false intelligence on North Korea.
The latest case is yet again casting doubts on the NIS's capability in gathering intelligence on the North.
On Feb. 10, the NIS as well as the Ministry of Unification told reporters that Ri, the then-chief of the General Staff of the KPA ― equivalent to the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman ― had been executed earlier that month.
At the time, the government cited some potential reasons for this, which included the formation of a faction opposing North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and abuse of power.
The report came as a surprise, as Ri had been regarded as one of the most prominent figures in the Kim regime. He was cited as one of the main figures behind Pyongyang planting landmines in the South Korea's side of the demilitarized zone, which injured two soldiers last August.
The news of the execution reminded South Korean people of Kim's brutality, and was also used as part of the justification for the government's decision to shut down the Gaeseong Industrial Complex in the North's border city later on Feb. 10.
After it was confirmed that Ri was actually alive, Unification Minister Hong Yong-pyo told reporters: "We need to check the details."
The NIS has often got information wrong in tracking developments within the secretive state.
In February, NIS officials met lawmakers from the National Assembly Intelligence Committee and said that vital components of a North Korean long-range rocket seemed to have come from Russia, soon after the North launched the rocket on Feb. 7. Outside experts considered the launch a cover for test-firing an intercontinental ballistic missile.
Seoul immediately faced Russia's demand for an apology. At the time, Russia said the South Korean government wrongly suspected Moscow of illegal deliveries violating United Nations Security Council's sanctions.
Mikhail Ulyanov, head of the Russian Foreign Ministry's nonproliferation and arms control department, announced at a press conference in Moscow, Feb. 11, "The South Korean intelligence authorities' statement is irresponsible and unprofessional," calling for an apology.
The NIS then made an about face, saying "The North's technology was believed to be similar to Russia's, but it is not involved with the Russian government."
In April of last year, the spy agency also told the Assembly Intelligence Committee that the North's young leader was going to attend a Victory Day event scheduled to take place in Moscow on May 9.
But such information proved false the next day, as the isolated state notified Russia of its intention not to attend.
Critics say the NIS is compromising its believability by repeatedly disclosing premature information and wrong judgments on situations.
The four-day congress of the Workers' Party, which was held 36 years after the previous event in 1980 under Kim Il-sung, was wrapped up Monday. Kim Jong-un was assigned a new title as chairman of the party during the event.
The National Intelligence Service (NIS) is being ridiculed after it was found that its information on a top North Korean military officer was wrong.
The spy agency had announced that Ri Yong-gil, a former Korean People's Army (KPA) chief, had been executed. However, following the ruling Workers' Party Congress, North Korea announced Ri as one of the nine alternate members of the political bureau of the party.
This was not the first time that the South Korean spy agency has given false intelligence on North Korea.
The latest case is yet again casting doubts on the NIS's capability in gathering intelligence on the North.
On Feb. 10, the NIS as well as the Ministry of Unification told reporters that Ri, the then-chief of the General Staff of the KPA ― equivalent to the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman ― had been executed earlier that month.
At the time, the government cited some potential reasons for this, which included the formation of a faction opposing North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and abuse of power.
The report came as a surprise, as Ri had been regarded as one of the most prominent figures in the Kim regime. He was cited as one of the main figures behind Pyongyang planting landmines in the South Korea's side of the demilitarized zone, which injured two soldiers last August.
The news of the execution reminded South Korean people of Kim's brutality, and was also used as part of the justification for the government's decision to shut down the Gaeseong Industrial Complex in the North's border city later on Feb. 10.
After it was confirmed that Ri was actually alive, Unification Minister Hong Yong-pyo told reporters: "We need to check the details."
The NIS has often got information wrong in tracking developments within the secretive state.
In February, NIS officials met lawmakers from the National Assembly Intelligence Committee and said that vital components of a North Korean long-range rocket seemed to have come from Russia, soon after the North launched the rocket on Feb. 7. Outside experts considered the launch a cover for test-firing an intercontinental ballistic missile.
Seoul immediately faced Russia's demand for an apology. At the time, Russia said the South Korean government wrongly suspected Moscow of illegal deliveries violating United Nations Security Council's sanctions.
Mikhail Ulyanov, head of the Russian Foreign Ministry's nonproliferation and arms control department, announced at a press conference in Moscow, Feb. 11, "The South Korean intelligence authorities' statement is irresponsible and unprofessional," calling for an apology.
The NIS then made an about face, saying "The North's technology was believed to be similar to Russia's, but it is not involved with the Russian government."
In April of last year, the spy agency also told the Assembly Intelligence Committee that the North's young leader was going to attend a Victory Day event scheduled to take place in Moscow on May 9.
But such information proved false the next day, as the isolated state notified Russia of its intention not to attend.
Critics say the NIS is compromising its believability by repeatedly disclosing premature information and wrong judgments on situations.
The four-day congress of the Workers' Party, which was held 36 years after the previous event in 1980 under Kim Il-sung, was wrapped up Monday. Kim Jong-un was assigned a new title as chairman of the party during the event.
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