Earlier this week, Seoul lawmakers voted to transfer North Korea-related espionage investigations from the country’s National Intelligence Service to its National Police Agency. This move is generally positive, but it will markedly change the landscape of South Korean intelligence, and there are still significant problems that go unresolved.

The transfer of responsibility from the state intelligence agency to the police force will take full effect in 2024, and the two agencies will work in tandem on domestic espionage cases during an intervening transition. Given that overseas activities will remain with the National Intelligence Service (NIS), the division