Cabinet approves decrees to reform military counterintelligence unit

The Cabinet approved five presidential decrees Tuesday to reform the military counterintelligence unit, following the announcement to dismantle the command amid criticism over its undue political influence.

The move follows plans to dismantle the Defense Counterintelligence Command and disperse its core functions to new and existing bodies under the defense ministry, marking the unit's dissolution 49 years after its establishment.

The decrees will be promulgated next Tuesday, and the ministry plans to officially launch two new bodies under its wing July 31 under the restructuring measures, the ministry said in a release.

The ministry said the reform represents a step toward turning the military intelligence into a "democratic organization trusted by the public." Under the decrees, a new body under the ministry will be created to handle counterintelligence, defense industry intelligence and cybersecurity operations.

A separate agency will be established to handle internal security inspections and investigations into security breaches at corps-level or larger units.

The decrees will strip th ...