National Intelligence Agency (North Korea)

The National Intelligence Agency (Korean: 국가정보국), formerly known as the Ministry of State Security (국가보위성), is the secret police agency of North Korea. It is an autonomous agency of the North Korean government reporting directly to the Supreme Leader. The agency is reputed to be one of the most brutal secret police forces in the world, and it has been involved in numerous human rights abuses. It is one of two agencies that provide security or protection to North Korean officials and VIPs, alongside the Supreme Guard Command. The agency was known by its nickname as Saenggak kyŏngch'al (생각경찰) meaning Thought Police under Kim Jong Un's reign as leader since taking power in December 2011. History In 1945, the DPRK Security was established, being attached to the "Police Department". In 1948, it became Ministry of Internal Affairs (내무성 정치보위국) with the Bureau of Political Protection attached. In February 1949, it became the Political Security Agency (정치보위부). In September 1948, the National Political Affairs Department, which specializes in political in the North Korean region, was newly established. On August 20, 1949, however, after Lee Chang-ok, the deputy secretary of the Republic of Korea, escaped from Haeju, then part of South Korea, along with Kim Kang and others, the organization was abolished after a massive purge. It was integrated into the Ministry of Social Safety (later known as the Ministry of People's Security). In 1951 it was renamed to Social Security Political Security Agency. In 1952, Department of Homeland Security. In 1962, it became Social and Political Security Agency (사회안전성 정치보위국). The SSD was created in 1973, being separated from the Ministry of Public Security. Some defectors and sources have suggested that unlike its Eastern Bloc counterparts, State Security functions are actually conducted by several larger and different security bodies that operate under the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) or the Korean People's Army (KPA, the North Korean armed forces), each with its own unique responsibilities and classified names that are referred to by code (e.g. Room 39), and that the agency is little more than a hollow shell used by the elite to coordinate their activities and provide cover for them. The post of Security Department head was left vacant after Minister Ri Chun-su's death in 1987, although it was de facto if not de jure controlled by Kim Jong Il and the WPK Organization and Guidance Department he headed. In 1998, the MSS migrated under the National Defence Commission, also chaired by Kim Jong Il. Finally, in 2007, it was transferred under the WPK Administration Department, whose first vice director became responsible of the MSS daily work, but it continued to have obligations towards the Organization and Guidance Department. In November 2011, it was reported that General U Tong-chuk had been appointed permanent minister of State Security, the first of this kind since 1987, filling a post left unoccupied for 24 years. This was almost concurrent with General Ri Myong-su's appointment as minister of People's Security. Other sources also claimed that Kim Jong Un worked at the State Security Department before and/or after his anointment as heir apparent in September 2010. Kim Won-hong was appointed minister in April 2012 as the position was restored following Kim Jong Il's death. He served as Kim Jong Un's aide until February 2017 when he was allegedly dismissed for filing false reports to Kim Jong Un and mishandling an aide of Kim Jong Un. He was formally replaced in October 2017 at a WPK central committee plenum by Jong Kyong-thaek. So Tae-ha is the vice minister, while Kim Chang-sop serves as the head of the political department of the ministry. On October 21, 2021, the MSS was instructed not to excessively surveil North Koreans living near the Chinese-North Korean border who are known to be free from any ideological suspicions. On November 18, 2025, Kim Jong Un visited MSS HQ with Minister of State Security Pang Tu-sop as part of celebrating 80 years of North Korean security apparatus. In May 2026, it was reported that the MSS changed names to the National Intelligence Agency. Duties The Ministry of State Security is tasked with investigating political and economic crimes in North Korea, especially crimes against the Kim family. It's also tasked with conducting VIP protection duties for North Korean diplomats and employees who work in various North Korean embassies, consulates and other foreign missions abroad. In addition to its internal security duties, it is involved in the operation of North Korea's concentration camps, prisons and various other hidden activities. The ministry has been known to link up with various other government ministries and agencies to help them with their various missions. Agency directors Ranks Notes References Citations References Bibliography Further reading Behind Closed Doors: Mapping the System of Command in the Ministry of State Security & Social Security (PDF). Database Center for North Korean Human Rights. 2023. ISBN 979-11-90000-38-3. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 8, 2025. External links Media related to State Security Department of North Korea at Wikimedia Commons