Signs have emerged that North Korea has expanded and reorganized the Reconnaissance General Bureau, an operation and espionage body under the General Staff in charge of South Korea- and overseas-directed missions, into the Reconnaissance Information General Bureau.
Gu Byung-sam, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Unification, said at a regular briefing on the 15th that "through a statement released by Pak Jong-chon, vice chair of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party, the existence of an agency called the Reconnaissance Information General Bureau was confirmed for the first time," adding, "We presume the existing Reconnaissance General Bureau was expanded and reorganized."
In 2009, North Korea created the Reconnaissance General Bureau by integrating major operation bodies under the Workers' Party, including the Operations Department, Office 35, and the External Liaison Department. Analysts say the latest reorganization expands the organization to fit a situation in which surveillance and intelligence assets have been strengthened following the first military reconnaissance satellite, "Malligyong-1," launched in Nov. 2023. At the time, Kim Jong Un, chairperson of the State Affairs Commission, touted the acquisition of the reconnaissance satellite as "a historic feat that elevated strategic power by one step."
In a statement released the previous day criticizing South Korea-U.S.-Japan and South Korea-U.S. joint drills, Vice Chair Pak Jong-chon said, "I received a report on the South Korea-U.S.-Japan joint drill plan from the Reconnaissance Information General Bureau." This is seen as publicly highlighting the existence of an independent military intelligence organization, rather than citing past media reports or foreign press.
Experts on North Korea's military say the establishment of the Reconnaissance Information General Bureau is intended to strengthen capabilities to collect and analyze information on movements on the Korean Peninsula and of U.S. Forces Korea.
In Mar., Kim unveiled an aircraft similar to the A-50 airborne early warning aircraft, believed to have been supported by Russia, and boasted that it was "a new means capable of neutralizing the enemy's various combat assets."