Yoon Hee-geun, Commissioner of the National Police Agency, "Recommended Jeong Soon-shin Based on Own Judgment... Not External Pressure"

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Su-yeon] Yoon Hee-geun, Commissioner of the National Police Agency, stated that he recommended lawyer Jeong Soon-shin as the head of the National Investigation Headquarters based on his own judgment, not due to external pressure.

On the 22nd, during the plenary session of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee, in response to a question from Lee Hyung-seok, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, asking, "Was there any external pressure from Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min or Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon in the process of selecting lawyer Jeong as the candidate for the head of the National Investigation Headquarters?" Commissioner Yoon replied, "I listened to various opinions and made the final decision myself. Among the three applicants for the head of the National Investigation Headquarters, I thought lawyer Jeong was the most suitable."

When Democratic Party member Oh Young-hwan asked, "The recommender, the Commissioner of the National Police Agency, only expressed 'regret'; will you apologize?" he responded with silence.

Yoon Hee-geun, Commissioner of the National Police Agency, is reporting on duties at the full meeting of the Public Administration and Security Committee held at the National Assembly on the 22nd. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Regarding the report on the 20th that the Democratic Party's 'Jeong Soon-shin Prosecutor Privilege Investigation Team' visited the National Police Agency and conveyed that Commissioner Yoon said, "It is desirable to appoint the head of the National Investigation Headquarters through an internal competition and recommended this to the Presidential Office," he said, "If the first head of the National Investigation Headquarters was appointed from within to stabilize the organization, I thought that at this point, it is appropriate for a person with capability and experience to prepare the system." He added, "Since the situation changed due to lawyer Jeong's withdrawal, I have told the Presidential Office that my opinion is that it would be better to find a capable person internally if possible."

Regarding Democratic Party members' criticism that a senior superintendent who attended the meeting opposing the establishment of the Police Bureau was recently subjected to personnel retaliation in the recent personnel reshuffle, he said, "There are many parts I cannot agree with." When Democratic Party member Lim Ho-seon said, "Within the police organization, the dominant evaluation regarding the senior superintendent's personnel is that 'this is not right,'" Commissioner Yoon responded, "It was a decision made after considering many factors," and added, "I will let time pass and allow for a historical evaluation."