History of South Korea

National Intelligence Service
1961 Jun 13

National Intelligence Service

South Korea

The military government established the KCIA in June 1961 as a way to monitor the opposition, with Kim Jong-pil, a relative of Park, as its first director. The KCIA is responsible for overseeing and coordinating intelligence activities both domestically and internationally, as well as criminal investigations by government intelligence agencies, including the military. With broad powers, the agency was able to become involved in politics. Agents go through extensive training and background checks before being officially inducted and assigned their first tasks.