President Roh Moo-hyun has congratulated the top intelligence agency on the occasion of the 43rd anniversary of its founding.

In a congratulatory message to the National Intelligence Service, Roh said intelligence is tantamount to national power and that the NIS therefore has more jobs to do.

Roh also commended the reform drive taken by the intelligence agency to sever what he called "abnormal ties" with political power, in an apparent reference to the dark era of military dictatorship when the agency acted as a handmaiden to those in power.

Roh also urged the NIS to focus on gathering intelligence on overseas economies and seek measures to combat terrorism and cyber crimes.