Acting Police Commissioner General Jaesung Yoo Retires... Search for New Chief Accelerates Ahead of Shift to a 'Police Superpower'[Comprehensive]

[Financial News] Acting Korean National Police Agency Commissioner General Jaesung Yoo concluded 38 years of service in the police on the 2nd, leaving the agency once again under an acting chief. With the commissioner general's post vacant for 21 months and the abolition of the Public Prosecutors' Office and separation of investigations from indictments just a month away, the leadership is also undergoing a major overhaul, drawing attention to the appointment of the next chief. As the police are expected to assume greater responsibility for investigations while urgently needing to restore public trust amid a series of incidents and accidents, the next chief's role is considered more important than ever.
At a farewell ceremony held that morning at the Korean National Police Agency in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, Yoo stressed, "Unlike other investigative agencies, the police cannot choose which cases to investigate. That is why police investigations are not a matter of authority, but of 'responsibility' and 'duty.'"
He continued, "We must respond to every appeal from the public and do our utmost to resolve each case entrusted to us. Even the smallest case can be a matter on which a person's entire life depends."
Regarding recent controversies surrounding the police, Yoo called for institutional self-reflection. He emphasized, "Wrongdoing must always be met with appropriate accountability. Holding individuals responsible alone cannot address the root of the problem. We must take a clear-eyed look at whether the chain of command and supervision, standards and procedures, and internal systems have functioned properly."
With Yoo's retirement, the police shifted to a new acting leadership structure centered on newly appointed Deputy Commissioner General Kim Jongcheol.
The commissioner general's post has been vacant for approximately one year and nine months since the emergency martial law situation in December 2024. After then-Commissioner General Cho Ji-ho became unable to perform his duties in connection with the incident, former Deputy Commissioner Generals Lee Ho-young and Jaesung Yoo successively served as acting chiefs. Kim is the third acting commissioner general. Yoo led the police organization for approximately one year and three months, serving as the longest-tenured acting commissioner general in the agency's history.
Kim will immediately begin addressing organizational issues without a separate inauguration ceremony. He is scheduled to officially begin his duties by chairing a nationwide police leadership meeting at 9 a.m. on the 3rd at the Korean National Police Agency's Eoullim Madang. With public trust in the police continuing to face scrutiny and sweeping changes to the investigative system ahead, the new leadership is expected to discuss organizational reform and its future response.
The pool of candidates for the next commissioner general was also reshaped by the senior police appointments announced the previous day. Following Yoo, who had been mentioned as a potential candidate, Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Commissioner Park Jeong-bo also left the organization, bringing newly promoted superintendent generals to the forefront of the candidate pool.
Park joined the police through the 42nd class of the officer candidate program and is an investigations specialist who served as head of the Korean National Police Agency's Special Investigations Division, deputy chief of investigations at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, commissioner of the Jeonnam Provincial Police Agency, and head of the Police Human Resources Development Institute. He had been mentioned as a potential candidate for the next commissioner general while leading the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, but will leave the police following this round of appointments.
Accordingly, a new pool of candidates for the next commissioner general is expected to form around newly appointed acting chief Kim Jongcheol, Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Commissioner Ko Beom-seok, and Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency Commissioner Yoo Seung-ryeol.
The appointments came amid growing calls for organizational reform following a series of allegations involving inadequate investigations and misconduct by police officers. As controversy over the inadequate investigation into the Jang Yoon-gi Case and the false closure of a missing-person case in Jeju continued, calls grew to overhaul not only frontline officers but also the chain of command, supervisory accountability, and the organization's systems as a whole.
There is speculation that the transfer of Jeju Provincial Police Agency Commissioner Ko Pyeong-gi, who had been designated for promotion to superintendent general last month, to head the Korean National Police Agency's Public Safety Bureau—a senior superintendent post—was also related to this atmosphere. Ko was transferred without being appointed superintendent general. The move is interpreted as disciplinary action linked to the false closure of the missing-person case in Jeju.
The reorganization of the police leadership also coincides with sweeping changes to the investigative system. When the Public Prosecutors' Office is abolished and the Serious Crime Investigation Agency and Public Prosecution Office are launched in October, investigations and indictments will be separated. As a result, the police, which handle many of the cases people encounter in their daily lives, are expected to bear even greater responsibility for investigations.
With investigative authority and responsibility concentrated in the large police organization of more than 140,000 personnel, concerns are also being raised about a so-called 'police superpower.' Future challenges include ensuring accountability commensurate with the expanded authority while establishing effective external checks and internal control mechanisms.
Calls are therefore growing to end the acting leadership structure that has continued for 21 months and appoint a permanent commissioner general to lead the organization stably. The next commissioner general is expected to face the task of responding to the investigative system reforms, restoring trust in police investigations that has recently been shaken, and strengthening organizational discipline.
Yoo also urged the incoming leadership that day, saying, "We must boldly discard misguided practices and change the way we work without hesitation. I hope you will turn this crisis into an opportunity for an even greater leap forward and keep the public's daily lives safer."

[email protected] Yeji Kim Reporter