박근혜 대통령이 토요일 남재준 전 육군참모총장을 국가정보원장으로 내정하여, 새정부 외교안보팀 전체의 절반이 육군 대장 출신으로 구성되었다.

국회 청문회과정이 끝나고 정부 조직법이 통과되면, 남 전 총장은 국가안보실장으로 내정된 김장수 전 국방장관과 함께 박근혜 정부의 외교안보팀을 이끌게 된다. 공식 임명되면 그는 김대중 정부 시절 임동원 전 국정원장 이후, 12년 만에 육군사관학교 출신 국정원장이 된다.

야당 측은 외교안보팀 인사가 지나치게 육군장성 출신으로 구성되어 다양한 시각의 생각이 정책에 반영되기 어려울 것이라고 우려를 표명했지만, 여당인 새누리당은 북한의 핵 미사일 위협이 고조되고 있는 가운데 더 효율적인 안보태세를 갖추는데 도움이 될 것이라고 주장했다.

남 전 총장은 2007년 당시 한나라당 대통령 경선에 참여했던 박근혜 후보의 국방안보 특보 역할을 했고, 지난 해 대선과정에서도 박 후보 캠프에서 활동했다.

남 전 총장은 1965년 소위로 임관하여 2005년 40년 군생활을 마감하기까지, 투철한 직업정신으로 “선비” 같은 사령관으로 이미지를 쌓아왔다. 그는 수방사 사령관, 한미연합사 부사령관, 육군 참모총장 등 군 핵심 수뇌부에서 활동한 군 전문가 이다.

(코리아 헤럴드 / 송상호 기자)

<관련 영문 기사>



Former Army chief Nam named to head NIS



President Park Geun-hye on Saturday added Nam Jae-joon, another retired general, to her national security and foreign policy staff, in an apparent show of her resolve to effectively deal with escalating North Korean threats.

Nam, the former Army chief of staff, will be the first graduate of the Korea Military Academy in 12 years to lead the National Intelligence Service after the confirmation hearing process is completed at the National Assembly.

Park’s picks for the top security and diplomacy posts include two other former generals -- Kim Jang-soo and Kim Byung-kwan, who were tapped to head the national security office in Cheong Wa Dae and the Defense Ministry, respectively.

Opposition parties claimed too many army retirees taking the posts could hamper the sharing of ideas and policy proposals from various perspectives, while the ruling Saenuri Party said they would help cope with increasing nuclear and missile threats by North Korea.

Nam has long served as a key security-related adviser to Park. In the presidential nomination race of the then-Grand National Party in 2007, he worked as a special aide to her on defense and security matters. He was also part of Park’s election camp last year.

After he was commissioned as second lieutenant in 1965, Nam built his image as a “clean, scholar-like” commander for his integrity, principle-based leadership and professionalism. He wrapped up his four-decade military career in 2005 after resigning amid a probe into alleged irregularities in the promotion of generals.

During his final years in the military, he opposed a series of government plans, including reducing mandatory military service terms and troop numbers, and the retaking of wartime operational control from Washington. Due to his overt opposition to these plans, he often clashed with then-President Roh Moo-hyun.

Nam has served in several top military posts: commander of the Capital Defense Command in 1998; operations division chief at the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 2000; deputy commander of the South Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command in 2002; and Army chief of staff from 2003 through 2005.

By Song Sang-ho (sshluck@heraldcorp.com)