Rep. Yoon Kun-young of the ruling Democratic Party, the Intelligence Committee's ruling-party secretary, told reporters after a full committee meeting at the National Assembly on Sept. 1: "As for why Kim Ju-ae is appearing so often in the media, the NIS sees her as having effectively been designated as successor." He added, "The NIS said it believes the purpose may be to imprint her on North Korean residents as a leader."
On the possibility of North Korea-U.S. dialogue, the NIS reported that "it should be considered possible at any time." Yoon said the NIS reported to the effect that "there is no fact-check on specific contacts between North Korea and the U.S., but there are signs of dialogue." Regarding the dialogue among the parties concerned that President Lee Jae-myung proposed in his Aug. 15 Liberation Day address, no separate NIS-level contact with North Korean authorities has taken place, according to the briefing.
On the possibility of additional North Korean troop deployments tied to the war in Ukraine, the NIS judged that "the likelihood is markedly low while the North is in a phase of dialogue with U.S. President Donald Trump," while adding that it "remains fluid depending on changes in the situation."
The NIS also briefed lawmakers on a reorganization of North Korea's intelligence organizations handling South Korean and overseas affairs. Rep. Yoo Young-ha of the People Power Party, the opposition secretary, said North Korea has expanded and reorganized its Reconnaissance General Bureau into a "Reconnaissance and Intelligence General Bureau" to strengthen counterintelligence functions. The NIS also said Lee Chang-ho, head of North Korea's Reconnaissance General Bureau, is concurrently serving as a unit commander in the Special Operations Force to improve the handling of operational intelligence gathered from the war in Ukraine.
According to Yoo, the NIS told the committee it has obtained and is analyzing internal North Korean documents and missile blueprints.
Attempts to leak advanced technology abroad were also treated as a key agenda item. Yoo said, "The NIS detected the leak of blueprints for a new type of nuclear reactor, and it detected and blocked an attempt to leak technology by photographing the engine of the Surion helicopter."
The NIS is also creating a new artificial intelligence director-general post and building a related organization by recruiting talent from the ranks of KAIST professors. Regarding the Dec. 3 emergency martial law declaration, the NIS is said to have launched a sweeping internal inspection starting Aug. 25.
On the "task force for countering North Korean influence operations" set up within the NIS under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, Yoon Kun-young said, "Concerns were raised that it could involve surveillance of civilians," adding, "There were questions on the issue, to the extent that the NIS said it is prepared to take personnel measures against those involved depending on the results of a special inspection."
