Who is Kim Hong-hee, Commissioner of the Korea Coast Guard? ... First Coast Guard Officer Since Enforcement of the Coast Guard Act

Two-Rank Promotion... Diverse Assignments in Maritime Safety, Security, and Investigation

Kim Hong-hee, the newly appointed Commissioner of the Korea Coast Guard
[Photo by Cheongwadae]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] For the first time since the enforcement of the Maritime Police Act last month, a former maritime police officer has been appointed to the new Korea Coast Guard.

Kang Minseok, the Blue House spokesperson, announced on the afternoon of the 4th, "President Moon Jae-in plans to appoint Kim Honghee, the Chief of the Namhae Regional Coast Guard, as the Commissioner of the Korea Coast Guard."

Spokesperson Kang explained, "Kim Honghee, the new Commissioner of the Korea Coast Guard, served as a naval officer and then spent 27 years in the coast guard, gaining experience in various roles such as maritime safety, security, and investigation. He also earned a doctorate in maritime law, equipping him with extensive field experience and expertise in maritime security."

He added, "We expect Commissioner Kim to be the right person to swiftly lead the reform of the Korea Coast Guard following the enforcement of the Maritime Police Act, as well as to protect our safe seas."

New Commissioner Kim was promoted two ranks, skipping the rank of Police Superintendent, from Police Inspector to Police Commissioner, to become the Commissioner of the Korea Coast Guard. He is also the first Commissioner from the Korea Coast Guard since the Maritime Police Act came into effect last month.

The Maritime Police Act clearly defines the basic organization and duties of the coast guard and designates September 10th of every year as "Maritime Police Day" to commemorate the enforcement date of the Exclusive Economic Zone Act, which declares the scope of maritime territory.

Additionally, the rank of Police Commissioner for the Commissioner of the Korea Coast Guard is limited to national police officers who have served in the coast guard for more than 15 years and can only be appointed if they are currently serving or have previously served as senior officers of Police Superintendent rank or higher. This effectively blocks cases where Police Superintendents from the land police are promoted to become the Commissioner of the Korea Coast Guard.

In the early days of the coast guard's establishment in 1953, it was rare but possible for a naval colonel to be appointed as the Commissioner of the Korea Coast Guard. However, for 66 years since the founding of the coast guard, the position of Commissioner has mostly been held by senior officers from the land police.

Even after the Korea Coast Guard was elevated to an independent agency under the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries in 1996, separating from the National Police Agency, only two Commissioners among the 16 who served (including heads of the Coast Guard Headquarters) were from the coast guard: Kwon Dongok in 2006 and Kim Seokgyun in 2013.

Meanwhile, the new Commissioner Kim graduated from Busan Nambo High School and Busan Fisheries University, Department of Fisheries. He entered the coast guard in 1994 as the 42nd class of police officer candidates and has served as Chief of Sokcho Coast Guard Station, Planning Officer of the Korea Coast Guard, Director of Equipment Technology Bureau, and Director of the Security Bureau.

Commissioner Kim's inauguration ceremony is scheduled to be held on the afternoon of the 5th at the Korea Coast Guard auditorium in Songdo International City, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon. On the same morning, the retirement ceremony of former Commissioner Cho Hyunbae will also take place.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.