South Korea has announced the dismantling of its Defense Counterintelligence Command following the segment’s role in former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s failed martial law attempt in 2024.
The move ends the Ministry of Defense unit’s 49-year run and redistributes its core functions across new and existing bodies to distribute concentrated authority within military intelligence, according to local media.
The reform follows recommendations issued in January 2026 by a civilian-military advisory panel, which called for splitting the command’s “excessive powers” and ending its controversial monitoring role.
Scrutiny intensified after the unit deployed troops to the National Assembly and National Election Commission and helped organize teams tasked with detaining politicians during the martial law attempt.
Reshuffling
Under the strategy, a newly-created Defense Counterintelligence Headquarters will take over anti-espionage, defense industry intelligence, and cybersecurity tasks.
Simultaneously, security audits and investigations into breaches at major units will shift to a new Defense Security Support Group, while national security investigations, such as joint probes under martial law scenarios, will transfer to the ministry’s investigation headquarters.
The overhaul also strips the command of authority long tied to its influence, including military personnel monitoring, personal information collection, or other operations unrelated to counterintelligence, such as corruption cases.
Completion by July
Officials said new oversight measures will include an external inspector general, a civilian compliance committee, and regular reporting to the National Assembly.
The defense agency also plans legislation to define the scope of counterintelligence work and penalties for abuses.
Seoul aims to complete the transition by the end of next month.
“This reorganization of the [Defense Counterintelligence Command] goes beyond a simple organizational or functional adjustment,” The Asia Business Daily quoted Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back as saying.
“It is a historic turning point for building a ‘military for the people’ by restructuring both the organization and its missions so that our military intelligence agencies can never again intervene in politics.”
