• Korean Security Journal
• /
• no.41
• /
• pp.153-183
• /
• 2014

Nowadays, proactive intelligence activities are required because of enhanced nation wide threats of terrorism and complexity of multidimensional factors of national security. South Korea not only need to draw up plans of information sharing among agencies for more effective national intelligence activities, but also have to evaluate the structure of Domestic Intelligence Agency and its right direction of activities. In this vein, this paper conducts comparative studies of structures and range of activities of intelligence Agencies by reviewing U.K, U.S.A, and France cases and suggests a potential model of 'domestic information specified agency' that we can adopt and methods to share information among agencies. The focus of this paper is on the reviewing of necessity of establishing new 'domestic information specified agency' which will mainly conduct anti-terrorism and counterintelligence activities, and its appropriate form. After reviewing the cases of U.K, U.S.A. and France, we conclude that overcoming the people's distrust about an invasion of freedom and rights caused by centralized and integrated independent intelligence agency is a prerequisite. Disputable issues of FBI, DHS, and South Korea's intelligence agency cases suggest that plans for restoring trust have to be considered if a new 'domestic information specified agency' is established in NIS. If it is established under government ministries such as MSPA focusing on implementing anti-terrorism and counterintelligence activities, organizations such as NCTC, NIC, that can carry out information sharing and cooperating with agencies concerned have to be established. Additionally, measures to solve structural problems caused by carrying out law enforcement functions by domestic information specified agency should be considered.