Kim Jong Yang of the Republic of Korea, who has been serving as acting president since October, was elected President of Interpol on Wednesday for a two year term, tipping the Russian front runner Alexander Prokopchuk.
Kim, 57, was chosen by Interpol’s 194 member states at a meeting of its annual congress in Dubai. The election is being held after the disappearance of Interpol’s former president Meng Hongwei, who vanished on a trip to China in September. Thereafter, Yang took over as the acting president. Beijing has since confirmed he has been detained and is being investigated for allegedly taking bribes.
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He is a former South Korean police officer who once served as head of police in Gyeonggi, the country’s most populous province.
#BREAKING: Kim Jong Yang of the Republic of #Korea has been elected President of INTERPOL (2-yr term). #INTERPOLGA pic.twitter.com/6I9HIyUWrf
— INTERPOL (@INTERPOL_HQ) November 21, 2018
The day-to-day running of Interpol is led by Secretary-General Jürgen Stock.
International Criminal Police Organisation brings together police forces from 194 countries, which share intelligence and assist with searches for wanted and missing people.