Military intelligence command to move out of Seoul

SEOUL, Nov. 18 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's top military intelligence command will move into a new command center on the outskirts of Seoul, the command said Tuesday.

The move will end the command's 30-year presence in central Seoul, during which
it was often used by former military governments to suppress democratic
movements.
"We started to move out this month as the construction of the new buildings in
Gwacheon was recently completed," the Defense Security Command (DSC) said in a
press release.
The new compound, which took two and a half years to build, has some 20
installations equipped with high-tech military information systems, said the DSC.
The compound is strictly closed to the public.
The intelligence command decided in 2001 to relocate its headquarters from its
Seoul base near the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae, where a number of art
galleries and restaurants now attract hundreds or thousands of visitors daily.
brk@yna.co.kr
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