Geojiho, New Seoul Police Chief, Says "Public Perspective is the Standard for Law Enforcement"

Jo Ji-ho, the newly appointed Commissioner of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, stated in his inaugural remarks that he will "carry out responsible law enforcement thoroughly from the perspective of the people."

Cho Ji-ho, Commissioner of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. [Photo by Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency]

On the 29th, Commissioner Jo met with reporters at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency in Naejadong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, saying, "The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency is directly responsible for law enforcement duties and handles many sensitive issues, so the burden is heavy," adding, "We will work with a responsible attitude toward the citizens of Seoul and the people."

Commissioner Jo particularly emphasized the importance of viewing police law enforcement standards from the people's perspective, mentioning "the people" several times. He stated, "How the people perceive us and what they demand are the standards for police law enforcement."

He also stressed, "Public officials fundamentally operate institutions with taxpayers' money and receive salaries accordingly," adding, "A responsible attitude commensurate with this is necessary." He continued, "For example, looking at 112 emergency call statistics, on average, one person makes a call once every two and a half years, but from the police perspective, we have to handle 10 to 20 cases daily," and said, "The police need to adjust to reduce this gap in perception."

Regarding the 22nd National Assembly election scheduled for April, he said, "We must play a protective role to ensure the election proceeds smoothly. The police's role is to monitor so that there are no unexpected incidents or illegal activities," adding, "It is my role to verify and manage that this is properly carried out."

Commissioner Jo is originally from Cheongsong, Gyeongbuk, graduated from the Korean National Police University (6th class), and has served as Chief of Sokcho Police Station in Gangwon and Seocho Police Station in Seoul before being promoted to Senior Superintendent in 2019.

From March to May 2022, he was in charge of personnel verification at President Yoon Suk-yeol's Presidential Transition Committee. In June of the same year, he was promoted to Police Commissioner and served as Director of the Public Safety Information Bureau at the National Police Agency. After six months, he was promoted to Senior Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner of the National Police Agency, following an elite career path.