Bahk Eun-ji has been with The Korea Times since 2012, building a career across multiple desks. She began at the Business Desk, where she conducted in-depth interviews with key figures in Korea's corporate world. Later, she moved to the Politics & City Desk, focusing on education policy and social affairs. She later served as team leader of the digital content team, leading curation efforts on the newspaper’s homepage and reshaping print stories for social media audiences to enhance digital reach. Now back on the Politics Desk, she covers the National Assembly and the Ministry of National Defense, with a renewed focus on political developments.
Defense ministry to dismantle counterintelligence command
Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back announces a plan to dismantle the Defense Counterintelligence Command and restructure its functions during a press briefing at the Ministry of National Defense in Yongsan, Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap
By Bahk Eun-ji
Functions to be dispersed among other military units; collecting intelligence on military personnel to be abolished
The Defense Counterintelligence Command (DCC) will be dismantled and its functions will be dispersed among newly established organizations, as part of the Ministry of National Defense's plan to reduce the unit's unchecked power.
The ministry unveiled a sweeping reform plan on Wednesday, after the military intelligence agency drew criticism for being misused by former President Yoon Suk Yeol as part of his Dec. 3, 2024, martial law declaration.
The ministry said the overhaul is intended to prevent any future political involvement of military intelligence organizations by dismantling the concentration of power in the DCC.
“The reform plan goes beyond a simple organizational restructuring or adjustment of functions,” Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back said during a press conference.
“This will serve as a historic watershed in rebuilding our military intelligence apparatus so that it can never again become involved in politics.”
Under the plan, the command will be dissolved and its functions split among three separate organizations.
A defense counterintelligence headquarters will be set up to oversee counterintelligence activities, defense industry-related intelligence operations and cybersecurity missions.
Military security functions, including security audits and investigations into security incidents, will be transferred to a new defense security support unit, while national security investigations and wartime joint investigative authority will be reassigned to an investigative body to be established within the ministry.
The ministry will also abolish what it described as politically vulnerable functions, including monitoring and compiling intelligence on military personnel, as well as information-gathering activities unrelated to the core mission of a military intelligence agency.
Ahn also announced a series of new oversight measures, including the appointment of an external inspector general, the creation of a compliance oversight committee composed of civilian experts and regular reporting requirements to the National Assembly.
CCTV footage released by the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee, Dec. 6, 2024, shows martial law troops photographing servers at the National Election Commission during the Dec. 3, 2024, martial law crisis. Courtesy of the committee
The ministry aims to complete the restructuring and launch the new organizations by late July or early August, although officials said regulatory reviews and consultations with other government agencies could affect the timeline.
The DCC, established in 1977 as the Military Security Command, is the military agency responsible for counterintelligence and investigations into national security breaches. But in reality, it has wielded even more significant powers, including intelligence-gathering on military personnel.
Without a proper system to check the command's authority, those in power have often misused the unit to gather information on political opponents and for other purposes.
The DCC became a central focus of criticis, especially in the wake of the martial law fiasco.
Under Yoon's orders, it deployed personnel to the National Election Commission to investigate election fraud allegations raised by far-right groups and supported plans to detain politicians. It has also been alleged that the agency played a key role in preparing a joint investigative headquarters that would have operated under martial law.
Former DCC chief Lt. Gen. Yeo In-hyung was indicted on insurrection-related charges, and investigations into current and former command personnel are ongoing.
Special prosecutors have been examining allegations that preparations for martial law began months in advance.
Investigators have recently focused on reports that the command drafted operational plans for the joint investigative headquarters intended for use under martial law. They are also looking into allegations that the agency sought to establish coordination mechanisms with other organizations in advance of the declaration.
The martial law issue has fueled broader criticism over the concentration of counterintelligence, investigative and security functions within a single organization, with critics emphasizing the need for stronger civilian oversight.