Park Hyun-soo Appointed as Seoul Police Chief... Gyeongbuk's Oh Bu-myeong and Jeonbuk's Kim Cheol-moon

On the 7th, the government appointed Park Hyun-soo, Director of the Police Bureau at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, as the Commissioner of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency.

Park, who holds the rank of Commissioner General, was first assigned as the Acting Commissioner of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. It is expected that he will officially assume the position of Commissioner once the promotion process to Senior Commissioner General is completed. Park, as Acting Commissioner, has rapidly advanced three ranks in the current administration, from Senior Superintendent to Commissioner General and then to Senior Commissioner General.

Notably, it was revealed that immediately after the declaration of martial law on December 3, he had multiple phone calls with Police Commissioner Jo Ji-ho, then Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min, and Police Security Bureau Director Lim Jeong-ju. In response, the opposition parties have raised suspicions of involvement in the December 3 martial law incident and are demanding the withdrawal of his appointment.

Kim Cheol-moon was appointed as Commissioner General and Commissioner of the Jeonbuk Provincial Police Agency, Oh Bu-myeong as Commissioner General and Commissioner of the Gyeongbuk Provincial Police Agency, and Choi Hyun-seok as Commissioner General and Superintendent of the Central Police Academy, respectively.

Personnel changes for those promoted to Commissioner General were also made. Nam Je-hyun, Senior Superintendent currently seconded to the Presidential Office’s National Situation Room, was appointed as the new Director of the Police Bureau at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.

Jo Jeong-rae, Police Intelligence Review Officer at the National Police Agency, was promoted and appointed as Public Safety Deputy Commissioner of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, and Park Jong-seop, Senior Superintendent currently seconded to the Office for Government Policy Coordination, was promoted and appointed as Deputy Commissioner for Community Safety of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency.