<관련 영문 기사>

Park to enhance presidential national security team

By Lee Joo-hee

President-elect Park Geun-hye’s transition team is considering establishing a top security control tower within the presidential office to replace the current structure divided into national defense and diplomacy.

“It will be inevitable to integrate the function but (the role of the senior secretary) will not be abolished and the name of the position may hence be kept,” Kim Jang-soo, former defense minister and representative of the foreign affairs and defense subcommittee, told reporters.

Subcommittee member Yun Byung-se further explained that the details are still being discussed but that the team is assessing the realignment by gauging the pros and cons of the current system and comparing it with the cases of other countries.

“In accordance with the presidential pledge, we are reviewing ways to establish a body with enhanced function,“ Yun said at a press briefing.

”Our goal is to set up a system that can be maintained regardless of future government changes.“

Currently, the senior secretary -- at a level of vice minister serving under the presidential chief-of-staff -- supervises the secretaries on foreign affairs, defense and unification. There is a separate national crisis management office, similar to the former National Security Council. The two offices may be integrated into the control tower, according to the sources.

Park, in stressing the need for strengthened efficiency, has pledged to set up the control tower inside the presidential office to cover security, diplomatic and unification matters, and crisis management.(jhl@heraldcorp.com)