The government on the 1st appointed Kim Jong-chul, head of the Gyeongsangnam-do Provincial Police Agency, as Vice Administrator of the Korean National Police Agency, and carried out personnel reshuffles for senior and superintendent general officers for the second half of the year. As for the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, Go Beom-seok, head of the Jeonnam Provincial Police Agency, was appointed, and for the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency, Yoo Seung-ryeol, planning and coordination officer at the National Office of Investigation (NOI), was appointed.
The Korean National Police Agency said it fully applied the "hometown exclusion system" to exclude assignments to home regions for the heads of the 18 city and provincial police agencies nationwide, in order to strengthen fairness and accountability in police work.
Accordingly, 14 out of the 18 city and provincial police chiefs were replaced.
The Korean National Police Agency said it plans to expand application of the hometown exclusion system to key posts, including inspectors general for audits, inspections, and human rights at the city and provincial police agencies, in subsequent appointments.
Kim, the new Vice Administrator, will serve as acting commissioner general of the Korean National Police Agency. Kim, the new Vice Administrator, worked in the Blue House situation room under Moon Jae-in's administration. After serving as head of community safety at the Gangwon Provincial Police Agency, head of public safety at the Chungnam Provincial Police Agency, and head of community safety and traffic at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, Kim was appointed head of the Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency in Sep. last year.
Go, the new Seoul chief, served as commander of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Mobile Corps and worked at the Office for Government Policy Coordination's Counterterrorism Center, among other posts. Since Apr., Go has served as head of the Jeonnam Provincial Police Agency.
Yoo, the new Incheon chief, has a record of being seconded to and working in the presidential office under the Park Geun-hye and Yoon Suk-yeol administrations.
The Korean National Police Agency said that to strengthen accountability for police investigations and on-site investigative capabilities following the amendment to the Criminal Procedure Act, it assigned experts in investigative fields to key positions at the National Office of Investigation (NOI). Kim Kwang-sik, chief of the Seoul Gwanak Police Station, was promoted to superintendent general and appointed planning and coordination officer at the National Office of Investigation (NOI), and Oh Seung-jin, head of investigations at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, was promoted to superintendent general and appointed director of investigations.