The nominee for head of the state spy agency, Cho Tae-yong, pledged to direct all efforts toward responding to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats as substantive and top-priority security threats.

At the start of his parliamentary confirmation hearing on Thursday, Cho said he plans to bolster information-gathering and judgment capabilities for signs of provocations as well as military cooperation with Russia, while solidifying intelligence cooperation with the U.S. and Japan.

The National Intelligence Service director nominee vowed efforts to proactively block the North's foreign currency earnings through overseas laborers and illicit cyber activities to finance its weapons of mass destruction program.

Cho assessed that the agency's role and responsibility have grown to the highest level yet, citing the North's advancing threats, the escalating Sino-U.S. rivalry, wars in the Middle East and in Ukraine, as well as supply chain disruptions.

He also promised to tighten discipline within the agency to gain strength and public trust as a top-notch intelligence agency.