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| National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director Park Jie-won attends a joint meeting at the National Assembly, July 30, a day after he was officially appointed to the position. Yonhap |
By Yi Whan-woo
The country's new spy chief Park Jie-won has continued to be active on social media even after he was officially appointed to the job, July 29, fueling security concerns over exposing his location and activities at any given time.
A veteran politician, Park has also been posting his thoughts on current affairs, which political analysts find inappropriate considering the nature of his job.
"A spy chief is supposed to be out of public sight except for special circumstances and Park appears to be unaccustomed to this so far," Shin Yul, a political science professor at Myongji University, said Monday.
The professor pointed out how Park mentioned his private schedule on Facebook, Sunday.
He wrote he postponed his plans to visit victims of the recent heavy rain to instead go to church with his wife for a Sunday worship service.
This came after he said he would refrain from posting on social media after he was nominated as director of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) by President Moon Jae-in, July 3. He then said keeping away from social media is "being faithful" as the nominee.
"He can jeopardize his life by exposing his schedule impulsively," Shin said. "And he does not seem to be sensitive about the matter."
The professor added that Park's additional comment on Sunday, in relation to victims of the torrential rains, was contrary to the nature of his job.
In his Sunday Facebook post, Park wrote a message conveying his condolences to the victims of mass flooding and mudslides amid heavy downpour across the country.
"Again, this is something very common to what a politician can do, but not for the NIS director," Shin said. "From now on, he should learn to keep his journal private."
Park, 78, spent almost 30 years as a politician and government official, including serving as chief of staff to late President Kim Dae-jung.
