Redazione RHC : 15 November 2025 12:41
North Korea has restructured its intelligence hierarchy, transforming the former Intelligence Agency into a structure with a much broader mandate. The new body, called the General Intelligence Directorate (GIRD), brings together several previously separate departments.
It relies on capabilities such as satellite monitoring, signals interception, network operations , and intelligence gathering, all now integrated into a single analytical framework. According to Daily NK sources, this status was formally approved in the summer, following internal discussions that began in the spring, and the changes were first publicly announced in September.
The reorganization was not limited to a symbolic update. The old unit ceased to be an agency primarily focused on covert infiltration and special operations. It was restructured as the headquarters of military intelligence , simultaneously responsible for satellite surveillance, data processing, digital communications, and intelligence network analysis.
This approach was a logical continuation of the reform begun in 2009, when North Korea merged military intelligence with the party’s operational structures . This time, the emphasis is on the different nature of the changes: not the absorption of external organizations, but rather the strengthening of authority within the existing system.
One of the factors that drove the consolidation of the intelligence sector was the launch of the Malligyong-1 satellite in November 2023. Despite the low resolution of the imagery, North Korea regularly monitors the test sites, airports, and ports of countries it considers adversaries. South Korea remains the primary target, although the United States and Japan also figure in official reports. The satellite data is integrated into a comprehensive analysis framework that combines signals interception and human reporting. This algorithm reduces the likelihood of false alarms and improves the accuracy of assessments.
The new agency’s internal documents call for weekly meetings called “224 Strategic Tasks,” in which summary reports on the current situation are prepared. These are accessible to the Supreme Command and the Central Military Commission . The General Intelligence Directorate has the right to report directly to the highest levels, bypassing the Chief of Staff or the Central Military Commission. A Daily NK source emphasizes that the agency has already established itself as a key decision-making center. This was indirectly confirmed by North Korean Army Marshal Pak Jong Chol, who cited a report the agency received on joint exercises between South Korea and the United States.
According to other sources, the agency’s powers have been expanded to the level of a national intelligence service , encompassing political, economic, and diplomatic functions. Foreign operations, network operations, sanctions evasion efforts, and support for external financing are all concentrated under one roof. Within the system, all of this is considered part of a triad of strategic functions— intelligence, economic, and psychological — which Pyongyang is increasingly turning into a tool for external influence.
Pyongyang is also developing a network of strongholds in Southeast Asia and several South American countries. This involves both intelligence channels and the exploration of new financial routes. At the same time, it collaborates with Chinese provincial agencies and private companies through which it purchases electronic components and data processing technologies.
These transactions are based on private contracts between Chinese commercial companies and organizations controlled by the General Intelligence Department. This arrangement allows the transactions to be hidden from international scrutiny, disguising them as normal commercial transactions.
Redazione