page_title: Presidential Security Service
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Presidential Security Service / History
caption_attribution_description: English: The inauguration ceremony for Park Geun-hye, South Korea's 18th, and first female, President.한국어: 대한민국 제18대 박근혜 대통령 취임식.
context_page_description: Presidential Security Service, or PSS for short, is a South Korean close protection agency. Based on the United States Secret Service, the South Korean PSS is an independent agency responsible for the protection of the President of South Korea the Prime Minister of South Korea their respective families, the Blue House, Chongri Gonggwan and visiting heads of state. The agents go through years of rigorous training, background, physical, health, mental health and educational checks before they officially become a PSS agent and get their first assignment.
  The unit is currently being commanded by Yoo Yeon-sang, a vice-ministerial Head of the PSS. Its headquarters and related support units are based near the Blue House.
context_section_description: The PSS had been established in 1949 as the Kyong Mu Dae Presidential Security Police. Its name soon changed in 1960 to the Blue House Presidential Police with a Security Force raised in 1961 to closely guard Park Chung Hee.
  The unit had a name change again, this time to the PSS, after the PSS Law 157 had passed in 1963 with Hong Jong Chul as its first chief under the direction of the Gyeongmundae Police Force. Yet Pak Chong-gyu headed the PSS from 1963 to 1974. PSS responsibilities were increased after North Korean soldiers of the 124th Army Unit attacked the Blue House in 1968.
  In 1974, the PSS was granted more power over the South Korean military and various law enforcement agencies under the enactment of Security Committee for presidential protection (Executive Order 7246) and of Security Control Unit for presidential protection (Executive Order 7246) after Park Chung Hee's wife, Yuk Young-soo, was killed.
  The abolition of the Security Committee for presidential protection (Executive Order 9692) and abolition of Security Control Unit for presidential protection (Executive Order 9692) came in 1979 after Park Chung Hee had been assassinated. In 1981, the PSS was mandated, by the revision of PSS directives, to protect former South Korean presidents and their families.
  The PSS was involved in the close protection of Pope John Paul II during an attempt to attack him when he visited the country on May 6, 1984 in Seoul.
  On February 1, 1989, the Cheongnamdae (Presidential retreat) guard squad was formed.
  On April 1, 1993, the Mugunghwa Dongsa (Korean: Clearing away of the security house) division was created to act as a counter-terrorism unit. On March 3, 1999, a PSS Multi Security Training Center was created.
  During the 2002 FIFA World Cup, the PSS established the Cheong Wa Dae World Cup Safety Measures Team and the World Cup Security & Safety Control Division to bolster security on South Korean soil
  The PSS was relieved of their guard duties of the Blue House on April 18, 2003 as jurisdiction was given to the Chungcheongbuk-do Provincial Government. On January 1, 2005, the Pusan APEC Security Safety Control Group was established by the PSS
  The Presidential Security Safety Measures Committee was legalized as a committee on March 10, 2005.
  PSS has been through numerous changes across administrations, such as the status of its head - ministerial or vice-ministerial - and organisation itself from the office to the division as well as its hierarchy within the Office of the President. President Moon Jae-in lowered the status of the head of PSS to a vice ministerial level and downgraded its status to an independent division under the President although its English name doesnt reflect this changes.
caption: PSS Agents during Park Geun-hye's Presidential Inauguration in 2013.
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