Woo Jongsu 'Investigation Expert'... Equipped with Leadership
Police Avoid Clear Answers on Verification Status
Woo Jong-su (55), head of the Gyeonggi Nambu Police Agency, has been appointed as the 2nd Chief of the National Investigation Headquarters, a police investigation task force. This internal appointment came a month after lawyer Jeong Soon-shin was dropped.
President Yoon Suk-yeol announced on the 27th that Woo will be appointed as the 2nd Chief of the National Investigation Headquarters on the 29th. The Chief will command the heads of 18 metropolitan and provincial police agencies nationwide and 35,000 investigative police officers across the country. With this, both the 1st and 2nd Chiefs of the National Investigation Headquarters will be filled by police officers.
Woo, a native of Seoul, entered the police force in 1999 through a special recruitment for administrative examination passers. He has served as the chief of Yongsan Police Station in Seoul, head of the investigation department at Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, and director of the Criminal Affairs Bureau at the National Police Agency. In 2018, while head of the investigation department at Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, he led the investigation into the Druking comment manipulation case and also served as an attach? at the Embassy in Russia.
The government is said to have considered internal opposition within the police to external candidates following lawyer Jeong Soon-shin’s withdrawal, as well as the fact that Woo had passed verification during previous police promotion processes, reducing the risk involved.
It also appears that the additional minimum 50 days required for external recruitment procedures was a burden. According to political circles, Woo’s background as an administrative examination passer was also viewed positively. Since Woo is not a graduate of the Korean National Police University, it was believed he could bridge the gap among graduates from the Police University, executive candidates, and general recruits.
Yoon Hee-geun, Commissioner of the National Police Agency, explained at a press briefing that "after thorough consultation with the Presidential Office, the decision was made to appoint internally," adding, "external recruitment would take 50 days, so it was judged to be undesirable."
Woo reported assets worth 1.396 billion KRW during last year’s high-ranking public officials’ property declaration, and his son is known to have completed military service properly.
Regarding Woo’s verification, Commissioner Yoon said, "Since the National Police Agency is not the main department in charge, it is difficult to provide specific details," and added, "He has already undergone verification during promotions from Senior Superintendent to Commissioner and Senior Commissioner ranks, so I believe he has managed himself well, including personal and family matters." A National Police Agency Intelligence Bureau official also stated, "The main body conducting verification is the Presidential Office," and that the police only conduct administrative-level verification, thus not providing a clear answer about police verification.
Within the police, there is a welcoming atmosphere, saying "He is someone who understands investigations." A senior superintendent in Seoul commented, "He strongly pushes forward tasks on his own will and has a strong reformist tendency," and praised him as "modest in character and very rational in work." Investigative police officers who worked with him at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said he broke the mold in investigative work. Woo was the one who reassigned face-to-face fraud cases involving voice phishing back to the criminal division at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency to enable active pursuit investigations.
A National Police Agency official said, "He has experience handling major cases as deputy chief and chief of investigations and has received good evaluations from colleagues," adding, "He is expected to play a significant role in strengthening investigative capabilities."
Special recruitment officers from the legal profession also responded positively. They said, "It is positive that special recruitment passers such as administrative and bar exam candidates are appointed as executives," and added, "The atmosphere had been that prosecutors dominated even the police organization, so it is fortunate that balanced personnel appointments are now being made."
However, one investigative police officer added, "It is desirable that internal appointments were made without wasting time on external recruitment procedures," but expressed concern, saying, "Since the National Investigation Headquarters Chief has been a police officer for two consecutive terms, if criticism arises regarding investigations, it will solely be the police’s fault, which could be a double-edged sword."
Meanwhile, Woo expressed regarding his inauguration, "I feel a heavy responsibility in taking on this important role," and stated, "To meet the heightened public expectations for police investigations, I will do my best together with the 35,000 investigative police officers."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
