The National Intelligence Service said Wednesday it will fortify its functions against espionage and terrorism and remove any political involvement as part of its self-reform measures ordered by President Park Geun-hye earlier this week.

For this, the agency will set up a task force to lead what it called the “second round of reform measures.”

The NIS has been carrying out strong self-reform since the appointment of director Nam Jae-joon “to turn over a new leaf as the nation’s top intelligence agency that is responsible for the nation’s security,” the NIS said in a press release. The measures included integration and reorganization of some of the departments, modification of the personnel system and operating rules, and a personnel reshuffling.

“Despite such efforts, as the dispute (over the NIS) continues, we have decided to create a task force within the NIS to launch a second round of reform and prepare measures by inviting experts and holding public hearings,” it said.

The NIS has been under political fire for its alleged attempt to interfere with the presidential election last year through an online smear campaign against an opposition party candidate. It also prompted heated political backlash by disclosing its transcript of the 2007 inter-Korean summit earlier this month in a growing dispute over then-President Roh Moo-hyun’s controversial remarks over the Northern Limit Line, a de facto West Sea border with North Korea.

On Monday, Park broke her silence about her stance on the NIS, ordering it to carry out intense self-reform befitting its purpose of serving for the security of the country and the people.

Park said the NIS should prepare and accelerate its efforts to fortify the intelligence-gathering function against North Korea, protect the country from cyber terrorism, and enhance economic security.

“Our duties will be buttressed to counter espionage and terrorism in a situation where the two Koreas are in confrontation, and to track down industrial spies. We will also get rid of any possible source of friction related to political interference and set right what was wrong in the past in order to be reborn as a new state intelligence agency,” the NIS said.

Throughout her presidential campaign, Park had underscored a need to reform the NIS to enhance its security-related intelligence operations and maintain political neutrality.

Calls have been rampant for the spy agency to cut off from political interest by lessening its focus on domestic affairs and networking. Public sentiment was aggravated last year by the controversy over the NIS’ alleged interference with the presidential election.

The NIS’ position has often been questioned in a prolonged ideological rivalry between the conservatives and the progressives, despite there being regulations and laws that prohibit the agency from overstepping political neutrality.

Reforming the agency, however, has repeatedly proven to be difficult as its domestic intelligence-gathering capacity has been considered a crucial part of running the country.

Meanwhile, the NIS reiterated its position over the summit transcript, saying, “It was out of patriotism for the country and an inevitable choice for the nation’s security.”

It added that its version of the transcript shows Roh and then-North Korea leader Kim Jong-il repeatedly discussing ways to withdraw both forces from the NLL and the so-called West Sea military boundary line unilaterally declared by the North in 1999 in the West Sea, to turn the region into a peaceful joint fishing zone.

Since 1973, North Korea has denied the NLL that serves as the de facto maritime boundary between the two Koreas upon the cease-fire treaty in 1953.

The agency said such a move would lead to the creation of a fishing area further South, putting the South’s maritime security and protection of territorial waters and exclusive fishing area in jeopardy.

The agency denied the opposition’s claim that the intention was to establish the fishing zone based on equal distance and area from the NLL, arguing that no such relevant remarks were found in the transcript.

Former aides to Roh strongly lambasted the NIS for “making false accusations” and “distorting the truth.”

Kim Kyung-soo, who was Roh’s speech secretary, said it was the Roh administration’s position that the joint fishing area be created at equal distances from the NLL, which also delivered to the North in follow-up defense ministerial talks headed by current presidential national security chief Kim Jang-soo.

Following the NIS’ disclosure of the transcript, the political parties have agreed to look into the original version of the summit records kept by the National Archives of Korea.

By Lee Joo-hee (jhl@heraldcorp.com)