{
  "id": 5259578,
  "title": "Why ex-police officials keep taking charge of Korea Airports Corp.",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/why-ex-police-officials-keep-taking-charge-of-korea-airports-corp",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-03T06:07:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/business/companies/20260903/why-ex-police-officials-keep-taking-charge-of-korea-airports-corp"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Korea Airports Corp. (KAC) has a recurring practice of appointing ex-police officials to lead the organization, prioritizing security credentials over aviation and management experience in their hiring decisions, according to industry insiders. The latest example of this trend is the recent selection of Kim Won-joon, a former Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency chief, as KAC's 14th president. This appointment has reignited discussions about why KAC consistently favors individuals with police backgrounds for its top executive positions.\n\nKim joins a long list of KAC presidents who have held police roles, with five such appointments since the airport operator underwent a restructuring in 2002. Notably, former military generals and intelligence officials have also taken on the KAC presidency. According to an aviation industry official, the pattern of selecting security-focused executives is largely due to the unique nature of airports. \"Airports are not merely sites for aviation operations,\" the official explained. \"They are facilities intimately connected to national security, which is why police officials with expertise in security have frequently been chosen to lead the organization.\"",
  "summary": "Korea Airports Corp. (KAC) has repeatedly turned to former police officials to lead the state-run airport operator, with security concerns taking precedence over aviation and management expertise in selecting its top executives, industry officials said Thursday. The appointment of Kim Won-joon, former chief of the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency, as KAC's 14th president on Wednesday has…",
  "key_points": [
    "Korea Airports Corp. hires ex-police officials for security focus.",
    "5 police background presidents since 2002 restructuring.",
    "Airport security ties justify police-led executive appointments."
  ],
  "editors_take": "This trend of appointing ex-police officials to lead Korea Airports Corp. suggests that the organization prioritizes national security concerns over aviation expertise in its leadership selection process.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "Why ex-police officials keep taking charge of Korea Airports Corp.",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/why-ex-police-officials-keep-taking-charge-of-korea-airports-corp-5261354",
        "published": "2026-09-03T06:17:03.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}