President Moon Visits NIS For Briefing On Reform Progress

President Moon Jae-in paid a visit the National Intelligence Service to check on the reforms at the agency, long criticized for meddling in politics.

He was briefed on progress by the nation’s top intel Chief Park Jie-won.

When the South Korean leader visited the NIS in 2018, he pledged to ensure political neutrality and to never use the organization for political purposes.

He said the agency kept that promise under a law passed last year, which bans it from engaging in domestic surveillance operations and requires it to focus on conventional missions like cybersecurity and gathering intel on North Korea.

Moon asked the NIS to develop a full range of intel-gathering capabilities in new areas like cyber and outer space.

To mark the agency’s 60th anniversary, the President attended the unveiling of a stone with a new motto “Serving our nation and people with unwavering loyalty and devotion.”