Ministry of Internal Security (Menghe)
| 대멩 사회주의 공화국 국내 보안부 Dae Meng Sahoejuŭi Gonghwaguk Guknae Boanbu | |
| File:Ministry of Internal Security.png Emblem of the Ministry of Internal Security | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | June 1988 |
| Preceding agency |
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| Jurisdiction | Chairman of the Supreme Council (Menghe) |
| Headquarters | 1500 Sŏngnam-ro, Donggyong, Menghe |
| Employees | 1.5 million (2015) |
| Minister responsible |
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| Child agency | |
The Ministry of Internal Security (Menghean: 국내 보안부, Guknae Boanbu) is the interior ministry of the Socialist Republic of Menghe. It is a cabinet-level agency, and its headquarters are located in the Old City district of Donggyŏng. The current Minister of Internal Security is Gun Se-yŏng, who has held the post since 2011.
History
The Democratic People's Republic of Menghe relied on two agencies to conduct the work currently handled by the Ministry of Internal Security. At the time, these were the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of State Security. Together, they represented an important check on the power of the Menghean People's Army, which was never fully subordinated to Communist Party control.
After the Army staged a coup in 1987, the Interim Council for National Reconstruction reorganized the former regime's state security apparatus and purged its personnel. The Ministry of the Interior was renamed the Ministry of Internal Security, and the former Ministry of State Security was placed under its authority as the Internal Intelligence Agency. The new leadership also added a General Directorate of Discipline Inspection, which was tasked with investigating officials accused of corruption.
In the wake of the Menghean Army's 2005 military reforms, the Supreme Council gave the Ministry of Internal Security greater authority over riot control and counterinsurgency operations, which had previously fallen under the jurisdiction of the Army's military police. In 2007, the Gunchal's rapid response brigades were transferred to the control of the Internal Security Forces, and Internal Security guards replaced Gunchal guards at nuclear power plants, diplomatic installations, and other important buildings.
The most recent major change to the Ministry of Internal Security's organization came in 2015, when the Maritime Patrol Forces were added as an agency-level body. Until then, they had been a paramilitary arm of the Menghean Navy. Some semblance of a dual command structure still exists, as the Menghean Navy can request control of maritime patrol ships in a wartime emergency in order to supplement its conventional forces in the coastal escort role.
Misson
The Ministry of Internal Security is a large and complicated body, and its various component agencies are responsible for a long list of diverse tasks. Broadly, its mission relates to maintaining security and public order within the country, in order to uphold the stability of the regime. These core duties include riot control, customs and border control, civil defense, counter-terrorism, and search and rescue operations. Menghe's National Police Agency, though separate from the Internal Security Forces, is administered by the Ministry of Internal Security, which sets common standards for training and oversees the country's local police departments.
The Ministry of Internal Security also contains Menghe's Internal Intelligence Agency, which runs a sophisticated domestic surveillance network intended to combat espionage and suppress dissident movements. Some of the Ministry's duties are duplicated within the Internal Intelligence Agency, which operates its own Discipline Inspection unit and has the authority to independently arrest and detain individuals who are deemed a threat to national security.
Outside of its security work, the Ministry of Internal Security also oversees some aspects of civil governance. The General Directorate of the National Civil Service, for example, is responsible for organizing and overseeing Menghe's grueling civil service entrance exam, and the Directorate of Election Management and Constitutional Affairs oversees elections for national and local government assemblies.
Organization
As of 2017, the Ministry of Internal Security is divided into the following agencies and departments:
Agency-level bodies
- National Armed Police
- National Criminal Investigation Unit
- Railway Police
- Border Patrol Forces
- Rapid Response Brigades
- Tactical Response Battalion
- Maritime Patrol Forces
- Internal Intelligence Agency
- Emergency Management Agency
General-Directorate level bodies
- General Directorate of Immigration and Personal Registration
- General Directorate of Discipline Inspection
- General Directorate of Censorship and Information Control
- General Directorate of Prisons and Prison Labor
- General Directorate of the National Civil Service
- General Directorate of the Four Semi-Autonomous Provinces
Auxiliary and supporting bodies
- Directorate of Election Management and Constitutional Affairs
- Directorate of Inter-Agency Relations
- Directorate of Agency Management
- Directorate of Strategic Planning
- Directorate of Agency Finances and Procurement
- Directorate of the National Archives
- Directorate of Police Academies
Ministers
The head of the ministry is known as the Minister of Internal Security. In addition to heading the agency itself, the Minister of Internal Security also holds a seat on the Supreme Council, and is an important advisor to the Chairman. The Chairman is responsible for appointing the Minister of Internal Security, though this requires a confirmation vote from the Supreme Council and a second confirmation vote from the National Assembly. There is no limit on how long any person can hold the position, and historically Ministers of Internal Security have served until retirement or dismissal.
| Name | Start year | End year | Party affiliation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ryŏ Man-su | 1988 | 1992 | Menghe Socialist Party |
| Ersan Unal | 1992 | 1997 | Menghe Socialist Party |
| Ryang Dong-hyŏk | 1997 | 2005 | Menghe Socialist Party |
| Sŏk Gi-nam | 2005 | 2006 | Menghe Socialist Party |
| Jung Hae-sŏng | 2006 | 2011 | Menghe Socialist Party |
| Gun Se-yŏng | 2011 | in office | Menghe Socialist Party |