March 25, 2023
News

North Korean espionage cases fuel debate about ROK spy agency reform

Opposition politician and legal group express concern that NIS opposes transfer of investigation authority to police

A key lawmaker from South Korea’s main opposition party has accused President Yoon Suk-yeol of rolling back reforms that transferred the authority to investigate North Korean espionage from the National Intelligence Service (NIS).

In a statement released Thursday, Democratic Party member Kim Eui-kyeom of the National Assembly’s intelligence committee expressed concerns that the NIS’ involvement in recent raids into alleged DPRK spy cells shows it is not interested in giving up power to the police.