Kim Won-jun, a former police officer, took office as president of Korea Airports Corporation (KAC) on the 2nd. The vacancy was filled for the first time in 2 years and 4 months since former President Yoon Hyung-jung resigned in Apr. 2024.
Kim, born in 1964 in Changnyeong, South Gyeongsang, graduated from Kyungmoon High School in Seoul and the 3rd class of the Korean National Police University. After serving as Gangwon Provincial Police Commissioner, director general for international affairs at the Korean National Police Agency, and Jeju Provincial Police Commissioner, Kim retired in 2021 as commissioner of the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency. As the Gyeonggi Nambu chief, Kim oversaw investigations into alleged preferential treatment in the Seongnam Daejang-dong development project and alleged real estate speculation by employees of Korea Land & Housing Corporation (LH).
Kim is the fifth president from the police since 2002, when the Korea Airports Authority was reorganized into Korea Airports Corporation (KAC). Previously, former presidents Yoon Woong-seop, Lee Geun-pyo, Kim Seok-ki, and Son Chang-wan also came from the police. Others appointed have included former officials from the National Intelligence Service and the Air Force, while only one internal candidate, former President Sung Si-chul, has been named. Although this is because airports are national security facilities and the job relates to duties such as blocking smuggling and preventing terrorism, questions about expertise have been raised each time.
In an inaugural address, Kim said, "What we need now is bold innovation that makes a new path for growth by putting safety first."