TEHRAN, November 21 -International police body Interpol elected Kim Jong-yang of South Korea as president on Wednesday, beating a Russian national whose candidacy had raised concerns in Europe and the United States about the risk of Kremlin interference.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) -International police body Interpol elected Kim Jong-yang of South Korea as president on Wednesday, beating a Russian national whose candidacy had raised concerns in Europe and the United States about the risk of Kremlin interference.
It said Nestor R. Roncaglia of Argentina had been elected to a three-year term as vice president for the Americas.
“Our world is now facing unprecedented changes which present huge challenges to public security and safety,” Kim told Interpol’s general assembly in Dubai, according to the agency’s Twitter account.
“To overcome them, we need a clear vision: we need to build a bridge to the future.”
Day-to-day work is handled by Secretary-General Jurgen Stock of Germany, but the presidency still commands influence.
The candidacy of Alexander Prokopchuk of Russia, a police major-general and one of Interpol’s four vice-presidents, led to concern in Europe and the United States about the possibility of Russia being able to exploit Interpol’s power.
Russia said clear outside pressure had been exerted on the vote but it did not see any factors that would render the election illegitimate.
Prokopchuk declined immediate comment.
Kim, 57, worked in the South Korean police for more than 20 years before retiring in 2015.
South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in congratulated Kim on becoming the first South Korean to head the organisation.
“We’re very proud. I, together with our people, am sending congratulations,” Moon wrote on Twitter.
The United States said on Tuesday it supported Kim to lead the agency after a group of U.S. senators accused Russia of exploiting the global body to settle scores and harass dissidents.
Source: Reuters
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