South Korea has committed a number of blunders in its efforts to gather intelligence on North Korea since President Lee Myun Bak took office in February 2008 with a tougher stand against Pyongyang than his predecessors.
One example was seen in the aftermath of the sinking of the South Korean corvette Cheonan allegedly by a torpedo fired by the North. The South appeared to have scored a public relations victory May 20 when it showed to reporters what was described as the blueprint of the North Korean torpedo CHT-02D as a proof that the North sank the ship. A month later, however, Seoul had to admit the blueprint was that of another North Korean torpedo, PT-97W.
In another sign of the South's lack of ability to gather sufficient information on the North can be found in its dealing with Pyongyang's redenomination of its currency in late November 2009. As the redenomination was being announced in the North, Won Sei Hoon, director of the South Korean National Intelligence Service (NIS), did not mention the matter while attending parliamentary deliberations, clearly indicating that he knew nothing about it.