Police chief nominee Kim Jongcheol wins National Police Commission approval for appointment recommendation... “Restore public trust”

[Financial News] Kim Jongcheol, 56, a member of the 45th class of the senior police officer candidate program and nominee for commissioner general of the Korean National Police Agency, received the National Police Commission (South Korea)’s approval for his appointment recommendation on the 6th. Follow-up procedures to fill the vacancy in the post, which has lasted 1 year and 11 months, are expected to gather pace.
After a meeting of the National Police Commission that afternoon, Kim told reporters he had “received approval” when asked whether the commission had approved the appointment recommendation.
Kim named responses to crimes driven by unusual motives and relationship-based crimes as the most urgent issues for the police to address. “I think the top priority is to overhaul various systems and on-site manuals so that people do not fall victim to crimes driven by unusual motives or relationship-based crimes,” he said.
He added, “I take seriously the diverse voices of the public, including calls for a better society and demands for police reform,” and stressed, “I will improve the thoroughness of police work, from investigations to general public safety administration, and rebuild public trust one step at a time.”
He said the National Police Commission meeting included questions about his policing philosophy and views on various current public safety issues. “I spoke candidly about what I usually think,” Kim said. Asked about the upcoming National Assembly confirmation hearing, he said, “I will do my best, faithfully and with a sense of responsibility.”
Before attending the meeting that day, Kim had also said, “I know well that public expectations of the police are higher than ever, and that there are even more voices expressing concern,” adding, “I feel a tremendous sense of responsibility at being nominated as police chief at such a grave time.”
The commission’s approval of the appointment recommendation is seen as significant because it marks a step toward filling the long-standing vacancy at the top of the police force. The police have operated under an acting leadership system since Cho Ji-ho, then commissioner general, was placed under emergency arrest in December 2024 on suspicion of involvement in the 2024 South Korean martial law crisis and suspended from duty following an impeachment motion.
Three people have served in succession as acting commissioner general: former Korean National Police Agency deputy chiefs Lee Ho-young and Jaesung Yoo, followed by nominee Kim. The period without a permanent commissioner general is now in its 23rd month.
With the revised Criminal Procedure Act taking effect last month and expanding the police’s investigative responsibilities, calls have also continued for the appointment of a permanent chief who can lead the organization steadily.
The commissioner general is nominated by the Minister of the Interior and Safety after deliberation and approval by the National Police Commission, and appointed by the president through the prime minister. A National Assembly confirmation hearing must also be held before the final appointment. Kim, whose appointment recommendation was approved by the commission on the 6th, will now proceed through the remaining appointment steps.
Born in 1970 in Hamyang, South Gyeongsang Province, Kim graduated from Myungshin High School in Jinju and the Department of English at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. He earned a master’s degree in convergence security from Chung-Ang University and a doctorate in public security administration from the Korean National Police University. After joining the police in 1997 as a member of the 45th class of the senior police officer candidate program, he served as chief of Seoul Seocho Police Station, head of personnel and training at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, head of the autonomous policing division at the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency, and at the Blue House National Situation Room, among other posts.
He later served as head of the public safety divisions at the Daegu and Daejeon Metropolitan Police Agencies, head of the life safety and traffic division at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, head of the public safety division at the Chungnam Provincial Police Agency, and head of the life safety division at the Gangwon Provincial Police Agency, among other posts. He was appointed chief of the Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency last September, then moved to the Korean National Police Agency as deputy commissioner general in September this year, where he has served as acting commissioner general.


[email protected] Kim Ye-ji Reporter