President replaces 2 of 3 deputy chiefs at NIS

By Na Jeong-ju

President Lee Myung-bak replaced two of the three deputy chiefs of the spy agency, Monday, in a reshuffle that was widely viewed as the beginning of a major shakeup of his security team.

Jeon Jae-man, diplomatic minister at the country’s embassy in Beijing, was appointed the first deputy chief of the National Intelligence Service (NIS), in charge of overseas and North Korea-related affairs.

The new third NIS deputy chief is Lee Jong-myung, a senior officer at the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Lee will handle counter-espionage activities as well as intelligence on science and industries.