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Critics raise questions over new police chiefs

By Kang Seung-woo

President Moon Jae-in's appointment of a new chief of the Korea Coast Guard (KCG) is raising some eyebrows as the organization has already had two heads in less than a year.

Cho Hyun-bai, chief of the Korea Coast Guard / Yonhap
Cho Hyun-bai, chief of the Korea Coast Guard / Yonhap
Last week, President Moon named Cho Hyun-bai, the commissioner of the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency, to lead the KCG, replacing his predecessor Park Kyung-min. The President also named Min Gab-ryong as the National Police Agency (NPA) commissioner, following Cho's appointment.

Given that Park Kyung-min, who took the position in July 2017, is leaving office just 10 months after his appointment, there are lingering complaints that he was not fully given opportunities to display his ability at the helm of the coast guard.

Due to its poor rescue operations during the sinking of the ferry Sewol in 2014 that killed more than 300 passengers, then-President Park Geun-hye disbanded the KCG.

However, right after President Moon's election in May 2017, the KCG was reinstated and Park, a former spokesman of the NPA, took office.

Currently, Prosecutor General Moon Moo-il and Min, the nominee for NPA commissioner, are from the Jeolla provinces. So the pick of Cho is seen as a move to balance regionalism in the process of selecting government officials. Cho is from the Gyeongsang provinces.

Presidential spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom also said the appointment was made as part of an effort to prevent the government from selecting officials from one region.

In addition to the regional matter, officials within the KCG are complaining that most chiefs had not been well-versed and doubt whether the new chief will be fit for the job.

There have been a total of 15 KCG chiefs in the history of the organization, but only two of them were promoted from within.

"I am wondering how much a chief from outside of the KCG will contribute to the organization," said a source.

In order to end the cycle of deep-rooted irregularities, there are growing calls for the government to step up efforts to guarantee the tenure of the KCG chief by law and come up with acts to specify the role of the coast guard.

The National Government Organization Act simply stipulates the KCG's mission is to patrol the sea and prevent marine pollution.

The KCG has made efforts to urge the government to enact its own organization act, but different opinions and conflicts between relevant ministries have derailed the move.

Min Gab-ryong, the nominee for the National Police Agency commissioner / Yonhap
Min Gab-ryong, the nominee for the National Police Agency commissioner / Yonhap
Meanwhile, President Moon's nomination of Min as the NPA chief is viewed as the government's strong determination to help allow police to conduct investigations independently of the prosecution under a pending reform of law enforcement agencies. The prosecution has so far controlled police investigations.

Min, the deputy commissioner of the NPA, has been conducting the job of carrying out police reform since he was promoted to the post early this year.

"He is expected to raise his voice for the expanded investigative rights of police, once he takes office as chief," said a police official.

The nominee is subject to approval of the National Assembly.



Kang Seung-woo ksw@koreatimes.co.kr


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