Yoon Holds Kim Chang-ryong, Commissioner of Police Agency's Resignation... "If Resignation Submitted, Will Be Processed According to Laws and Regulations"

Immediate Repair Difficult Due to NATO Summit Attendance
Presidential Office: "Security Chief's Resignation on Day of Overseas Trip Inappropriate"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy reporters Ki-min Lee and Seong-pil Jo] President Yoon Seok-yeol decided on the 27th to withhold acceptance of Police Commissioner General Kim Chang-ryong's resignation letter (resignation from the National Assembly member position).

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A presidential office official told Asia Economy in a phone call regarding Kim's announcement of his intention to resign, "If (Commissioner Kim's) resignation letter is submitted, it will be processed according to laws and regulations at that time."

Accordingly, once Commissioner Kim's resignation letter is submitted, President Yoon is expected to decide on accepting the resignation after considering investigations, audits, and disciplinary reviews. Although Commissioner Kim expressed his intention to resign to reporters on the morning of the same day, it is known that he went on leave without officially submitting his resignation letter through formal channels. According to a police agency official, Commissioner Kim reportedly submitted his resignation letter to the Police Personnel Department.

President Yoon reportedly received prior notice from his aides about Commissioner Kim's intention to resign on that day, but since he departed for Madrid, Spain, to attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in the afternoon, it seems difficult to accept the resignation immediately.

Inside and outside the presidential office, there are criticisms that Commissioner Kim's expression of opposition to the Yoon administration's police system reform direction through a statement and his subsequent resignation are inappropriate.

During President Yoon's first overseas trip, Kim Sung-han, the presidential office's National Security Office chief, stayed in the country to closely monitor domestic security situations and prepare for emergencies. Amid this, the chief of public safety caused confusion by expressing his intention to resign on the day of the president's trip.

In particular, suspicions of "political motives" have arisen as Commissioner Kim expressed his intention to resign immediately after a press briefing related to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's establishment of a police support department.