South Korean intelligence chief Kim Kyou-hyun resigned on Sunday, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported, as tensions rose with neighboring North Korea over nuclear and missile programs.
President Yoon Suk Yeol accepted the resignation of Kim Kyou-hyun, director of the National Intelligence Service (NIS), according to Yonhap, who gave no details.
Two other senior NIS officials also resigned, the agency added.
Local media estimate that these resignations appear to be related to personal management issues that have plagued the agency since June.
The announcement comes as North Korea accelerates the development of its weapons programs. Pyongyang managed to launch its first military spy satellite into orbit earlier this week.
Mr. Kim, a career diplomat who served as deputy national security adviser, was appointed in May 2022 after conservative President Yoon Suk-yeol came to power.
According to the presidential office cited by Yonhap, in the period following the inauguration of the new South Korean government, Mr. Kim worked to “restore the reputation of the NIS as the country’s main intelligence and security service.”