hankyoreh

The front entrance to the Defense Security Command (DSC). (Hankyoreh archives)

President Moon Jae-in addressed the issue of reforms to the Defense Security Command (DSC) on Aug. 3, calling for the “establishment of a new command that is historically separated from the past.”

His message was a demand for the de facto dismantlement and radical reconstruction of the DSC. President Moon also made a surprise announcement appointing Army Special Warfare Command commander Nam Young-chin as the new DSC commander in place of Lee Suk-koo, the figure accused of “revolting” against Minister of National Defense Song Young-moo.

“President Moon has examined both the Defense Security Command reform committee’s reform plan and the Ministry of National Defense’s DSC reform plan and ordered a radical reorganization of the current DSC to achieve swift, full-scale reforms,” Blue House Senior Secretary to the President for Public Relations Yoon Young-chan said in a briefing that day.

The day before, the DSC reform committee had presented a reform plan that involved cutting the command’s staff by 30 percent and abolishing its authority to “observe trends.” It also proposed three possibilities for its organization: maintaining the current command system, changing the DSC to a Ministry of National Defense headquarters, and establishing it as a separate institution.

With President Moon referring explicitly to a “new command” on Aug. 3, it does appear that the DSC will retain its command format for now. On the surface, this suggests his agreement to the first of the three plans – but the President went a step farther in demanding “radical reorganization.” It amounts to a demand for changes that would involve re-discussing the entire organization, including the replacement of staff, rather than simply changing its nomenclature or authority.

President Moon’s emphasis on a “new command that is historically separated from the past” and call for “appointing a non-military inspection office chief to conduct a thorough investigation of illegal and corrupt acts within the organization” can be read along these lines.

“He’s calling for the dismantling of the previous DSC and the creation of a new, different DSC,” said a senior Blue House official.

“The command format will remain in place, but the nomenclature, staff, and forms will all be changing,” the official added.

To this end, President Moon also ordered the establishment of a “preparation team for the creation of a new command,” as well as “the swiftest possible pursuit of enactment of a presidential decree as a basis for the command’s establishment.” The same day, he replaced the DSC commander, while emphasizing his strong commitment to DSC reforms. The surprise replacement of Lee Suk-koo one year after he took over as DSC commander comes after his verbal battle with Minister Song Young-moo over the circumstances behind the reporting of a DSC martial law document triggered accusations of “mutiny.”

“With the current need for new reforms to the DSC, President Moon has exercised his appointment authority as commander-in-chief of the military to appoint someone new [as DSC commander],” a senior Blue House official said.

By Seong Yeon-cheol, staff reporter

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