Here's the latest on South Korea's embattled Defense Security Command.
Investigations into its controversial decisions are ongoing related to the period during the candlelight protests against former president Park Geun-hye when there was chatter about potentially declaring martial law to quell the peaceful protests.
Park Ji-won tells us more.
Speaking to reporters Thursday,... after a three-hour-long meeting held earlier in the day,... the chair of the taskforce for Defense Security Command Revamp Chang Young-dal said,... the military intel unit is now facing a critical moment,... where the public even demands it to be dismantled.
"The Defense Security Command is now in crisis, where the public even demands it to be disbanded. So we talked about whether the intel unit can find its place back through reforms, or should it to take steps to disband itself. We decided to further discuss when and how its role and power were abused,... while watching how the current investigation unfolds."
In order to prevent any more illegal interference into domestic politics by the military intel unit,.. the chair of Seoul's defense ministry's advisory body suggested two ways; either establishing a new military intel unit under the ministry,... by revising executive orders,... or establishing a whole-new independent military intel body outside of the ministry,... downsizing the current 45-hundred members to half.
"When we closely looked into it, some officials of previous administrations had somewhat abused the intel unit. We are now studying ways to prevent such abuses from happening institutionally."
The next task force committee meeting will take place next Thursday morning.
So far 13 meetings have been held,... since the committee was established last May.
Meanwhile, the independent probe team looking into the military intel unit's controversial document summoned four Defense Security Command officials Thursday afternoon.
They were expected to be interrogated on their involvement in drafting the document in question,... which is a contingency plan for declaring martial law during the candlelight demonstrations that ultimately led to the impeachment of former president Park Geun-hye.
The 30-member independent team have now until August 10th for the investigation,... but that deadline can be extended if necessary.
Park Ji-won, Arirang News.
