President Moon Jae-in on Thursday appointed three deputy directors of the National Intelligence Service, completing the leadership lineup of the spy agency.

Moon appointed Seoul's Ambassador to Pakistan Suh Dong-gu as the first deputy director, while choosing Kim Joon-hwan, a former head of a regional NIS office, as the second deputy director. Kim Sang-gyun, a former chief of the NIS's North Korea strategy, was named the third deputy director.

Seoul`s Ambassador to Pakistan Suh Dong-gu (Yonhap)
On the same day, Moon conferred an appointment certificate on new NIS director Suh Hoon who went through the parliamentary confirmation process earlier this week.

The first deputy director is tasked with gleaning intelligence on North Korea and overseas affairs, while the second deputy director is in charge of espionage and terrorism. The third deputy director is charged with communications and cyber issues.

"These appointments are aimed at ensuring the NIS will serve as a purely intelligence agency, as President Moon has pledged to insulate it from politics," Park Soo-hyun, presidential spokesman, told reporters.

Moon has vowed to carry out a sweeping reform of the spy agency long suspected of meddling in politics to support the ruling elites. (Yonhap)