Defense Security Command`s scandal

In the Korean dictionary, "gimu" means "important things that should be kept confidential." The word was first used in an agency set up in 1880 in the late Joseon Dynasty to respond to domestic and international political situations. During the Gabo Reform in 1894, a state organization in charge of political and military affairs also used the word in its name. Gimusa (Defense Security Command), a South Korean military investigation and intelligence agency, was named in January 1991, after its reform following a soldier of its predecessor organization who exposed that the military agency illegally conducted surveillance on civilians.

During a power vacuum in the wake of the assassination of President Park Chung-hee in 1979, General Chun Doo-hwan, then commander of the military intelligence agency, used the organization to take control over the military. By 1980, Chun was the de facto supreme ruler of the country who also assumed the position of the chairman of an emergency committee for national security. Yoon Pil-yong, former commander of the Capital Defense Command who was the leader of an influential faction in the military, served as head of an anti-espionage unit, which was the predecessor of the military intelligence agency. He was later purged for plotting a military coup after he said that Lee Hu-rak, then director of the powerful Korean Central Intelligence Agency, should be President Park Chung-hee`s successor.

After a series of measures to strengthen civilian control over the military, the Defense Security Command`s intervention in politics seems to be a story of the past. Its roles are limited to planning security measures and gathering information regarding military-related activities. Its primary mission is to protect national security, which includes anti-espionage and anti-terrorism activities and protecting defense industry-relation information. Although the command is placed under the defense minister, its commander can report directly to the president. Reportedly, however, no commander of the agency has asked to have a private meeting with the president since President Roh Moo-hyun.

During Friday`s parliamentary hearing on the Ministry of National Defense, lawmakers had debates over the surprise dismissal of Jang Kyung-wook, former acting commander of the Defense Security Command, just six months after taking the post. There are rumors that he was sacked because he directly reported to the president`s office about Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin`s favoritism in military personnel affairs. However, no accurate background has been known. Major General Lee Jae-soo, who replaced Jang, happens to be a classmate of Park Ji-man, the younger brother of President Park Geun-hye. Gossipers say that the president`s brother exerts great influence on state affairs. The more the government tries to hush up, the bigger the suspicion will grow. I hope that the government provides a clear explanation of what happened if it is not classified military information.

Editorial Writer Ha Tae-won (triplets@donga.com)