Resignation of South Korea's Intelligence Chief and His Deputies

The office of South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol announced that he accepted the resignation of the intelligence chief and his two deputies on Sunday. Yoon's office did not specify any reasons for the resignations, but local media reported issues arising from previous changes in the leadership of the National Intelligence Service. The president’s office stated that two senior officials from the National Intelligence Service were immediately appointed to the deputy positions, but a nomination for the president's position has not yet been made pending a parliamentary session. The seasoned diplomat Kim Kyu-hyun, who has experience with U.S. and North Korean affairs, has overseen the National Intelligence Service since Yoon took office in May 2022. Yoon's office stated about the resigning intelligence chief that “Kim worked to reposition the National Intelligence Service at the forefront of the country's security intelligence agencies during a government transition and to build a cooperation system with intelligence agencies in friendly nations.”