South Korean Kim Jong-yang elected new head of Interpol after last-ditch bid to block Russian candidate
- Delegates from Interpol member countries elected Kim, a relative unknown, to replace Meng Hongwei, who went missing in his native China in September
- Beijing later said Meng resigned after being charged with accepting bribes. Kim will serve out Meng’s term until 2020
Interpol announced on Wednesday that Kim Jong-yang of South Korea had been chosen as its new president, beating a Russian official whose candidacy had unnerved Western nations.
The US-backed Kim, acting president of the global police body, was picked at a meeting of delegates from member nations in Dubai to replace Meng Hongwei, who went missing in his native China in September. Beijing later said Meng resigned after being charged with accepting bribes.
There had been growing calls within Western nations for Interpol to reject Russian candidate Alexander Prokopchuk – a Russian interior ministry official and current Interpol vice-president – over fears Moscow could abuse the role to target political opponents.
On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo threw his weight behind the 57-year-old Kim, who will serve out Meng’s term until 2020.
“We encourage all nations and organisations that are part of Interpol and that respect the rule of law to choose a leader with integrity. We believe Mr. Kim will be just that,” Pompeo told reporters.
Kim, a relative unknown even in his native country until today, worked in the South Korean police for more than 20 years before retiring in 2015 to take up the post of Interpol vice-president.
He had been chief of police in Gyeonggi province before that, and also had a brief stint as a secretary at the Ministry of Transport after graduating from Korea University with a degree in business administration. He joined Interpol in 2012.