The investigation into illegal eavesdropping by the nation's intelligence agency is more than half over and public discussion about reform at the National Intelligence Service (NIS) has begun in earnest. Details about the illegal activities by a state agency and the truth about the agency's incompetence has led the public to feel the need to do something about the NIS more so than ever before.
The government, members of the National Assembly, civic groups, and other organizations have come up with diverse suggestions as to exactly what kind of reform the NIS needs. Each and every proposal is valuable, and the suggestions include reducing or eliminating its authority to do domestic intelligence work, reorganizing its departments, reducing its authority to plan its own intelligence and security work, abolishing its authority in investigating domestic communist activities, and set terms for high-level officials. The government or the National Assembly needs to examine each idea in detail and work out a precision plan for the NIS's long term.
When it comes to the general direction reform should take, however, we would like to emphasize the need to avoid the pitfalls of stressing the "unique particularities" of an intelligence agency. That would be because there have been resounding calls for reform with each new government, only to have the agency fail to make any progress in that area and have those calls forgotten because of the claim that "you must recognize the unique character of a state intelligence agency." An organization like that ends up doing things it is not supposed to if it is not subject to the controls and supervision of the people. The reason the NIS has long lied about its eavesdropping and still been able to stay beyond the reach of the law is precisely because its secretive approach has been tolerated too much.
Just as important as reorganizing the agency's structure will be the creation of a climate in which employees are placed in their positions for rational and appropriate reasons and formal rules to make sure that happens. Reform at the NIS will forever remain a distant goal if there is not framework in place that assures its leadership and working-level staff are chosen for the right reasons. It is time to pool everyone's wisdom together about having the NIS be reborn as an intelligence agency truly for the people by examining each proposal for reform from the very beginning.
The Hankyoreh, 23 November 2005.
[Translations by Seoul Selection]
[Editorial] Reforming the National Intelligence Service |
