Election comes as blow to Russia, which was pushing for former major general in interior ministry
South Korean acting president, Kim Jong-yang was elected as the new Interpol president for a two-year term at the body’s annual congress in Dubai on Wednesday, succeeding his predecessor who was arrested in China this year on charges of bribery and corruption.
“Our world is now facing unprecedented changes which present huge challenges to public security and safety,” Jong-yang told Interpol’s general assembly, according to the agency’s Twitter handle. “To overcome them, we need a clear vision: we need to build a bridge to the future.”
Jong-yang had been in the police force for more than 20 years before retiring in 2015.
South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in congratulated Jong-yang on becoming the first South Korean to head the organisation.
“We’re very proud. I, together with our people, am sending congratulations,” Jae-in wrote on Twitter.
This comes as a blow to Russia’s efforts to secure the seat for candidate Alexander Prokopchuk, a former major general in its interior ministry whose candidature had been rejected by US, Britain and other European nations with the intent that his election would lead to’ further Russian abuses of Interpol’s red notice system to go after political opponents and fugitive dissidents’.
The Kremlin stated Tuesday that US’s lobbying against its candidate had led to election meddling.
Interpol is an international police body that issues ‘red notices’ for identification of suspects pursued by a country, effectively putting him or her on the world’s “most-wanted” list.
(With inputs from agencies)
