The member states designated him as the new head of the international police organization at their meeting in Dubai, as Interpol announced via Twitter.
The South Korean was elected for two years. Kim Jong Yan had been interim at the head of Interpol since the resignation of the previous boss.
US Senators, as well as Ukraine and Lithuania, had previously warned against the election of Russian candidate Alexander Prokofchuk. He has been vice-president of the police organization since 2016. Russia accused the US of wanting to influence the vote.
Interpol coordinates international police cooperation and exchanges information, such as arrest warrants. The former president, Chinese Meng Hongwei, was arrested in September in his homeland. He is being investigated on suspicion of „accepting bribes“ and being involved in illegal activities.
