By Jun Ji-hye
An incumbent prosecutor has been appointed to lead the spy agency’s department in charge of inspecting internal organizations and staff, and taking disciplinary action if necessary, sources said Monday.
Cho Nam-kwan, 52, from the Seoul High Prosecutors’ Office, has been dispatched to the National Intelligence Service (NIS) to serve in that position, according to sources.
The position, which is also involved in personnel management, is among the top five most important posts in the NIS, sources added.
Naming an outside figure to such a core position shows the Moon Jae-in government’s strong determination to thoroughly reform the spy agency, which has long been suspected of meddling in domestic politics and elections to support the ruling elite.
Reforming the agency was one of the key campaign pledges of President Moon.
In line with Moon’s pledge, Suh Hoon, who was appointed Thursday to head the NIS, ordered the “immediate and complete” abolition of the agency’s domestic intelligence operations on his inaugural day.
Under such operations, the NIS officers used to gather information on government ministries, organizations and agencies as well as media companies, and were suspected of having used such information to intervene in domestic politics.
As Suh stressed that a zero tolerance principle will be applied to those who violate relevant rules and orders, Cho is also expected to keenly monitor any violations committed by NIS officers.
Cho became a prosecutor in 1995 and was a member of a presidential commission, in 2000, which was in charge of unearthing the truth behind suspicious deaths that took place during the nation’s military dictatorship in the 1970s.
The prosecutor also headed the narcotics and organized crime department at the Gwangju District Prosecutors’ Office and later worked as a human rights investigator at the justice ministry.
Cho worked at Cheong Wa Dae as a junior official under President Roh Moo-hyun from 2006 to 2008. Moon was Roh’s chief of staff.