[Editorial] 3rd Time Around for NIS Reform Drive

The National Intelligence Service (NIS) recently conducted organizational and personnel restructuring. The restructuring focused on two issues: abolition of the Anti-communism Unit that had been at the center of controversy for covert political operations and surveillance of domestic opposition politicians; and relegation of NIS` authority to investigate domestic espionage cases to the prosecution and police. The latest move is meaningful. The NIS demonstrated its will to move away from catering to politicians and inner power circles out of regret over its past abuse of power and wrongful conduct through a monopoly of national intelligence sources.

Above all, it promised not to deploy its agents to major institutions including the National Assembly, government agencies and newspapers, and to conduct surveillance on them any longer. We welcome the decision. No other government organization was able to check the NIS before. Therefore, the NIS was able to do whatever it wanted. For example, it could conduct wiretapping at will, and violated human and civil rights in many cases. The restructuring will hopefully provide a new opportunity for the intelligence body to renew itself as an intelligence agency that upholds the interests of the nation.

The latest reform measures are historically not the first of their kind. Former presidents including Kim Young-sam and Kim Dae Jung took similar steps in their early days to guarantee the NIS` neutrality. Every time, however, we saw their actions "muted" time and again. Both presidents were not able to shake the temptation in using the NIS to strengthen the administration’s influence. This was the biggest reason in past failure for reform.

We do not want to see yet a repetition of this failure for reform. In order to prevent this reform drive from tapering off, President Roh Moo-hyun should abide by his promise not to depend on the NIS to maintain power.

The Roh Administration should also see to it that the NIS` relegation of power does not lead to a deterrence of intelligence activities in North Korea as well as investigation of National Security Act violations. The war on the Korean Peninsula is not over; technically, it`s been on hold. Considering these special circumstances, the government has to make sure there are no loopholes in defending ourselves against the communist regime. In this respect, we hope the ongoing discussion in the National Assembly on NIS reform can lead to correction and supplementation of the NIS` own reform efforts.