The Republic of Korea Has Completed the Reorganization of Its Military Counterintelligence

In early August, the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of Korea completed the reorganization of its military counterintelligence: the responsibilities of the disbanded Defense Counterintelligence Command (DCC) were distributed among several separate agencies. The goal of the reform is to prevent the use of intelligence agencies for political purposes and to separate intelligence, oversight, and investigative functions. On July 31, the DCC ceased operations after 49 years as the sole joint military counterintelligence agency.

The main specialized agency is now the Defense Counterintelligence Headquarters (DCH), which collects, analyzes, and assesses information on counterintelligence threats: it counters foreign intelligence services, protects defense technologies and the infrastructure of the defence-industrial complex, and addresses cybersecurity and counterterrorism. Unlike the DCC, the Headquarters does not conduct full-cycle criminal investigations, so operational intelligence is now separated from investigative authority. The DCH reports directly to the Ministry of Defense and is headed by Major General Pyon Mu Sam, who previously served as acting commander of the DCC and oversaw its dissolution.

The Defense Security Support Group (DSSG) is responsible for internal security within the armed forces, centralized vetting, and protection of classified information. At the same time, the most politically sensitive functions of the former DCC – monitoring morale among the troops and collecting personal and reputational information on service members – have been abolished.

Proceedings in cases involving espionage and the disclosure of military secrets will be conducted by the National Security Investigation Unit (NSIU), which is part of the Ministry of Defense’s Investigation Directorate; the Directorate has also been granted the authority to organize joint investigations under martial law. Coordination among all the new structures will be ensured by a separate Security Investigation Coordination Body (SICB).

The reform is unlikely to weaken the Republic of Korea’s counterintelligence capabilities; rather, it will change the model for their application: instead of a single agency with broad powers, a system of internal checks and balances is being established. An increased focus on industrial espionage may gradually shift the priorities of military counterintelligence, with fewer resources allocated to monitoring morale within the army and more directed toward protecting defense technologies and cyberinfrastructure.