South Korean President Lee Jae-myung's government made a bold decision in appointing General Pyun Moo-sam to head the Defense Counterintelligence Agency, the main successor to the military counter-intelligence service that was disbanded on 31 July. Unlike most high-ranking military officers, General Pyun did not graduate from the Korea Military Academy, but rose through the ranks via a different career path before attending the national security course at the Korea National Defense University (KNDU)
Spymaster | South Korea
Pyun Moo-sam, surprise chief of South Korea's new counterintelligence agency
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General Pyun Moo-sam has taken charge of the Defense Counterintelligence Agency, which replaces the command implicated in the 2024 martial law crisis. Having survived a purge of South Korea's military, this outsider to the Military Academy must now implement the clean break sought by Lee Jae-myung's government.
