Kim Jong-yang, Interpol President, Honorably Retires... Elevated the Status of Korean Police

First Korean Head of Interpol
"The Key to Tackling International Crime Is 'Collaboration'"
Focused on Bridging Security Gaps in Underserved Areas
Strengthening Cooperation Between Korean Police and Interpol

At the Interpol General Assembly held in Istanbul, Turkey, from the 23rd to the 25th (local time), Kim Jong-yang, President of Interpol, is delivering the opening address.
[Photo by National Police Agency]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] Kim Jong-yang, the first Korean to serve as President of the International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO·Interpol), has honorably retired after a three-year term.

At the farewell ceremony held during the 89th Interpol General Assembly from the 23rd to 25th (local time) in Istanbul, Turkey, President Kim expressed, "Serving as the President of Interpol, the world's largest international police cooperation organization, and working to create 'a safer world' was the greatest honor and joy of my life."

President Kim reflected, "The past three years have been a very valuable opportunity to reaffirm Interpol's dynamism and global scale," adding, "From the islands of the South Pacific to the southernmost tip of the African continent and the regional communities of Central Asia, I confirmed once again that the only effective way to respond to international crime is to share knowledge and experience and collaborate with each other."

He also emphasized, "I believe Interpol's greatest achievement lies not in the physical growth of the organization but in the cohesion of our community," and stated, "This will continue to be Interpol's greatest asset."

President Kim served as an Interpol Executive Committee member in 2012 and as Vice President for Asia in 2015. In 2018, following the sudden resignation of the previous president, he assumed the role of Acting President and led the organization through a crisis. Later that year, in November, he became the first Korean to head Interpol, the world's largest international police organization.

Since taking office, President Kim has focused on bridging the security capability gaps among member countries, especially in underserved regions such as Asia, Africa, the South Pacific, and Latin America, with the vision of "eliminating disparities among member countries for a safer world." To this end, he expanded Interpol's foundation by implementing governance reforms, establishing regional offices in the Caribbean and the Middle East, and instituting the International Day of the Fallen Police Officer worldwide. During his tenure, he chaired over 20 international conferences, including the Interpol Drug Conference and the Cyber Financial Crime Conference, leading global police cooperation.

He also took a leading role in responding to the global crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, spearheading global crackdowns on crimes and illegal distribution related to medical supplies such as test kits and vaccines. President Kim played a significant role in introducing 'i-CORE,' a mid- to long-term capacity development program utilizing advanced information and communication technologies such as artificial intelligence and big data, promoting the advancement of Interpol's communication networks and databases in preparation for the digital era.

During President Kim's tenure, cooperation between the Korean government and Interpol was significantly strengthened. Since last year, the National Police Agency has supported Interpol projects addressing crimes such as child sexual exploitation and telephone fraud, and this year, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the National Police Agency, and Interpol jointly launched a digital copyright infringement project focusing on protecting Hallyu content. Additionally, the number of Koreans working at Interpol has increased from just two in 2012 to 14 currently, actively engaged in various fields including counter-terrorism, cybercrime, vulnerable groups, finance, and training.

Meanwhile, the successor to President Kim was elected as Al Raisi, Chief of Police of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

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