The defense ministry on Monday launched a new counterintelligence unit tasked with countering espionage and terror threats from North Korea and elsewhere, as part of a sweeping overhaul aimed at replacing a former unit long dogged by criticism over its political influence. The new defense counterintelligence agency is one of three new bodies being established under the reform plan, after the ministry decided to disperse and transfer the core functions of the Defense Counterintelligence Command (DCC) to new and existing agencies. The ministry unveiled the reform plans in early June to dismantle the DCC, marking the command's dissolution 49 years after its establishment. The new counterintelligence unit will "proactively tackle future security threats," by working with domestic and foreign partner agencies to combat increasingly covert intelligence activities and terrorist threats from North Korea and other countries, the ministry said in a release. It will also focus on preventing military secret leaks in the defense industry, while seeking to provide security support for other strategic