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Spymaster | South Korea
Lee Jong-seok, the academic driving South Korea's new security shift

The director of South Korea's National Intelligence Service, Lee Jong-seok. © Yonhap News Agency/MaxPPP

The new spy chief's appointment signals more than a mere change of leadership. The former unification minister is the embodiment of President Lee Jae-myung's new foreign policy goals to keep channels open with China and North Korea while maintaining a balance with the United States. [...]

Published on 10/10/2025 at 04:00 GMT Reading time 3 minutes

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