Gyeongnam police chief appointed acting commissioner of Korean National Police Agency

The chief of the Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency, Kim Jong-chul, has been appointed deputy commissioner general of the Korean National Police Agency (KNPA), effectively making him the acting head of the national police force. This appointment comes in the wake of a prolonged vacancy in the top post, which has been held by Yoo Jae-seong for over 20 months.

The KNPA has implemented a regional avoidance principle in this reshuffle, ensuring that senior officers are not assigned to their hometowns or regions where they have close ties. This move aims to enhance impartiality and prevent corruption within the police force. Additionally, 14 out of 18 national police agency chiefs at the city and provincial levels, which is 78 percent of the total, have been replaced in this personnel shakeup.

Ko Beom-seok has been appointed as the new chief of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, while Yu Seung-ryeol has been promoted to head the Incheon Metropolitan Police chief. The KNPA plans to further overhaul its personnel system and expand the regional avoidance principle to other key posts in future reshuffles.

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