Kim Jong-pil, Head of Main Office Public Relations Cooperation Section, and 135 Others Promoted to Superintendent, the 'Flower of Police'

The police flag of the Seoul Seodaemun-gu Police Agency is fluttering in the wind. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] On the 10th, the National Police Agency appointed 135 police inspectors, including Kim Jongpil, head of the Public Relations Cooperation Division at the headquarters, as candidates for promotion to police superintendent.

At the headquarters, 24 officers including Head Kim, Lee Sungil of the Cyber Crime Investigation Division, Lee Byungcheol of the Anti-Terrorism Safety Division, and Park Jaehung, leader of the Major Crime Investigation Team 1, were promoted to police superintendent, a rank often called the "flower of the police." At the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, 17 officers including Kim Geunjun, head of the Violent Crime Division, Im Eunseon, head of the Licensing Division, Kim Jongjae, head of the Traffic Patrol Division, and Bae Youngchan, head of the Community Safety Division, were listed for promotion. At police stations under Seoul jurisdiction, 19 officers including Yoo Toyeon, head of the Women and Juvenile Division at Gangdong Police Station, Oh Miae, head of the Women and Juvenile Division at Gangbuk Police Station, and Lee Dongkwon, head of the Investigation Division at Suseo Police Station, were promoted to police superintendent. In the provinces, 75 officers including Im Kyungho, leader of the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crime Investigation Team 1 at Gyeonggi Northern Provincial Police Agency, and Kim Jaegwang, head of the Criminal Division at Suwon Nambu Police Station, were named.

The police superintendent rank, known as the "flower of the police," is mainly assigned as heads of frontline police stations and as division chiefs at the National Police Agency headquarters and metropolitan/provincial police agencies. The National Police Agency explained that this promotion was based on a comprehensive review of individual work performance, capabilities, qualifications, and career paths. Notably, the agency expanded the proportion of general recruits (those who entered at the rank of police officer or below) to about 32%. Last year, the proportion of general recruits promoted to superintendent was 12.6% of the total.

The National Police Agency added that, to establish a responsible investigation system and strengthen field response capabilities, experts in public safety fields such as investigation and community safety were prioritized for promotion. Accordingly, among the promotion candidates, 34 were from investigation and 29 from community safety. The agency also stated that promotion candidates were evenly distributed across all metropolitan and provincial police agencies, including Sejong Police Agency, which produced its first promotion since its establishment, and that efforts were made to maintain balanced personnel management by selecting 10 female police officers.

The National Police Agency plans to soon carry out personnel changes for ranks below police inspector following the transfer of police superintendents, including those newly promoted.

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