• Korean Security Journal
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• no.53
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• pp.63-79
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• 2017

Defence Security Command is the only military intelligence and investigation agency which is in charge of safeguarding military information and investigating specific crimes such as subversion and disloyalty in military. While the presidential security provided by Defence Security Command, along with Presidential Security Service(PSS) and the police, forms one of three pillars sustaining presidential security, its works and activities have been rarely known to the public due to the military confidentiality. This study looks into some data specialized into the presidential security among works of Defense Security Command by using various resources such as biographies of key people, media reports, and public materials. It reviews the presidential security works in a historical sense that the works have developed and changed in accordance with the historical changes of Defense Security Command, which was rooted in Counter-Intelligence Corps (Teukmubudae in Korean) in 1948 and leads to the present. The study findings are as follows. First, when the Korean War broke out in 1950 and since then the South Korea was under the threat of the North Korean armed forces and left wing forces, Counter-Intelligence Corps(Bangcheopdudae in Korean) took the lead in presidential security more than the police who was in charge of it. Secondly, even after the Presidential Security Office has founded in 1963, the role of the military on presidential security has been extended by changing its titles from Counter-Intelligence Corps to Army Security corps to Armed Forces Security Command. It has developed their provision of presidential security based on the experience at the president Rhee regime when they could successfully guard the president Rhee and the important government members. Third, since the re-establishment into Defence Security Command in 1990, it has added more security services and strengthened its legal basis. With the excellent expertise, it played a pivotal role in the G20 and other state-level events. After the establishment of the Moon Jaeinin government, its function has been reduced or abolished by the National Defense Reform Act. However, the presidential security field has been strengthening by improving security capabilities through reinforcing the organization. This strengthening of the security capacity is not only effective in coping with the current confrontation situation with the hostile North Korean regime, but also is important and necessary in conducting constant monitoring of the military movement and security-threat factors within military during the national security events.