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Seoul disbands military intelligence command over crackdown plan

By Wooyoung Lee
A sedan goes through a checkpoint at the entrance of the Defense Security Command (DSC) headquarters in Gwacheon, South Korea, on Sunday. Photo by Yonhap
A sedan goes through a checkpoint at the entrance of the Defense Security Command (DSC) headquarters in Gwacheon, South Korea, on Sunday. Photo by Yonhap

SEOUL, Aug. 5 (UPI) -- The South Korean military disbanded its military intelligence command amid a controversial civilian crackdown plan.

Seoul's Defense Ministry said Monday it will dissolve the Defense Security Command and establish a new unit for military intelligence support as part of an effort to reform the scandal-ridden military, according to Yonhap.

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The DSC has been under fire for its plan for martial law to crack down on protesters against ousted former President Park Geun-hye.

The plan, revealed last month by a lawmaker, supposes a scenario in which massive protests happen across the nation when the court rejects the impeachment of the former President Park Geun-hye. It details a plan to mobilize military resources and soldiers, including 200 tanks, 550 armored vehicles, 4,800 armed troops and 1,400 special forces, to respond to protesters.

Some 800 military agents are said to have written the plan and other illicit intelligence activities, Chosun Ilbo reported, citing a defense source.

They have also been accused of illegally monitoring the protesting family members of victims of the 2014 Sewol ferry sinking, and operating online comment-rigging schemes for political intervention.

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A recent investigation into the DSC's plan revealed a special task force secretly operated under the command and found hundreds of files deleted related to the controversial report, according to the ministry.

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