Preliminary Suspension of Police Chief Candidates Completed... Announcement Expected as Early as Next Week

(From left) Kim Kwang-ho, Chief of Ulsan Police Agency; Yoon Hee-geun, Director of Security Bureau, National Police Agency / Provided by National Police Agency

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] On the 2nd, the government carried out a personnel appointment promoting Lee Sang-yang, Chief of the Gyeongbuk Provincial Police Agency, to the rank of Commissioner General, effectively replacing the entire pool of candidates for the next National Police Agency Commissioner, who will succeed Kim Chang-ryong, whose term ends in July. This also signifies the complete restructuring of the personnel lineup for the next Police Commissioner.

The National Police Agency announced on the same day that Commissioner Lee was appointed as Commissioner General. This promotion came just ten days after a major reshuffle of Commissioner Generals. Previously, on the 24th of last month, the National Police Agency announced the promotion of five officials to Commissioner General: Kim Kwang-ho, Chief of the Ulsan Police Agency; Yoon Hee-geun, Director of the Police Security Bureau; Woo Cheol-moon, Director of the Investigation Planning and Coordination Office; Song Jeong-ae, Director of the Personnel Planning Office; and Park Ji-young, Chief of the Jeonnam Police Agency.

The rank of Commissioner General is directly below the Police Commissioner (Chief of Police, one position). There are seven positions at this level, including the head of the National Investigation Headquarters, the Deputy Commissioner of the National Police Agency, chiefs of the Seoul, Busan, Gyeonggi Southern, and Incheon Police Agencies, and the President of the Korean National Police University. This personnel move means that six out of the seven Commissioner Generals, excluding Nam Gu-joon, head of the National Investigation Headquarters whose term is guaranteed until the end of February next year, have been replaced.

Following the previous personnel announcement, there was an unusual assessment within and outside the police that the promotion of Commissioner Generals took place first, even though the Police Commissioner's term ends on July 23. Some speculated that this was a 'preparatory step' for appointing the next Police Commissioner. Legally, the Police Commissioner, who holds the rank of Chief of Police, is appointed from among the Commissioner Generals.

(From left) Yoo Jin-gyu, Chief of Incheon Police Agency, Choi Seung-ryeol, Chief of Gyeonggi Nambu Police Agency
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Until this personnel announcement, there was cautious speculation that one or two existing Commissioner Generals might remain and compete for the next Police Commissioner position. Jin Gyo-hoon, Deputy Commissioner of the National Police Agency; Yoo Jin-gyu, Chief of the Incheon Police Agency; and Choi Seung-ryeol, Chief of the Gyeonggi Southern Police Agency, were classified as remaining candidates. In particular, Chief Choi was expected internally within the police to possibly remain due to ongoing investigations into major cases such as the Seongnam FC sponsorship fund allegations and the misuse of corporate credit cards by the spouse of President-elect Lee Jae-myung.

However, with the government's additional promotion of Commissioner Lee to Commissioner General on this day, it is expected that all existing Commissioner Generals will step down. The current Commissioner Generals are likely to resign once the new Commissioner Generals' assignments are announced after going through the local autonomous police committees and relevant procedures. If the existing Commissioner Generals refuse to accept the personnel changes, follow-up measures such as standby orders may occur, but typically, they leave the police organization after the assignment announcements.

However, considering that the Police Commissioner is appointed from among the Commissioner Generals, there remains speculation that one current Commissioner General might stay after July, as one Commissioner General position could become vacant. While it is possible to leave the Commissioner General position vacant and conduct a one-point personnel appointment, this is considered unprecedented.

Once the appointments of the new Commissioner Generals are finalized, the process for appointing the next Police Commissioner is expected to begin. The dominant forecast is that this will occur in early to mid-June. Within and outside the police, it is anticipated that Kim Kwang-ho, Chief of the Ulsan Police Agency, and Yoon Hee-geun, Director of the Police Security Bureau, will compete for the next Police Commissioner position.

Meanwhile, some interpret the government's recent consecutive personnel moves as an attempt to strengthen control over the police. Currently, the National Police Agency is an external agency under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, and according to the Police Act, the Minister of the Interior and Safety holds the authority to propose personnel appointments for positions at the rank of Senior Superintendent General and above, including the Police Commissioner. When asked whether Police Commissioner Kim Chang-ryong's opinions were reflected in the recent Commissioner General personnel appointments, the Ministry avoided a direct answer, stating, "It is difficult to disclose specific details."