The spy agency should be born again

The National Intelligence Service (NIS) has become shaky after the appointments of top officials of the spy agency by President Yoon Suk Yeol were reversed. After reviewing a list of names for their promotion to the first-level agents, NIS chief Kim Kyou-hyun submitted the list to the president and he approved it. But his approval has become null and void after problems were found. It turned out that a confidante of the spy chief was included in the promotion list and he is suspected of having influence in promoting four to six other agents to the top level. Whether President Yoon was aware of the abnormal promotion process has not been known yet.

The recruitment of agents and their promotion at the top spy agency should be fair. If the spy chief’s close aide really affected the promotion of other agents, that constitutes a serious crisis. A bigger problem is lack of an internal system to check the appointment tyranny by an aide to the spy chief. Under the banner of no intervention in domestic politics, the NIS repeatedly pledged to reshape itself, not to mention the removal of a department handling domestic affairs earlier.

After the head of the Office of Planning and Coordination handling personnel affairs and budget in the NIS tendered his resignation last October just four months after his appointment for totally unknown reasons, rumors about internal conflict spread fast. The unspecified stepdown of the official could be the prelude to the latest appointment crisis. As the world has turned into a battleground for information, the role of spy agency has grown more than ever. Now it must not only catch spies from the enemy but also defend against unceasing cyberattacks from outside and discover industrial spies. The NIS plays a crucial role in collecting information and coordinating stakeholders behind the scenes. The top spy agency must return to normal after putting the appointment fiasco behind.

At the same time, the NIS must take this as an opportunity to reposition itself as an intelligence agency for the sake of national interests. Its code of conduct stipulates “a silent devotion to national security and protection of the people.” If the agency is swayed by political influence or adheres to its own interests, it cannot avoid criticism for serving the powers that be. The practice of changing the spy chief whenever the governing power changes also must stop. Departure of the top spy with affluent experiences in the field translates into a big loss for national interest. The government must be careful in appointing the head of NIS and politicians must ensure the spy agency not be swayed by political pressure no matter what.