New Seoul police chief takes office amid controversies

A new Seoul police chief took office Monday, amid controversies over his alleged involvement in President Yoon Suk Yeol's martial law declaration late last year.

Park Hyun-soo, former director general of the Ministry of Interior and Safety’s police bureau, officially assumed his role as the new Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency chief, a position left vacant since his predecessor was indicted on charges of insurrection and abuse of power.

Park takes the office amid speculations he too was involved in the martial law debacle. Critics claim he made at least one call to then-Interior Minister Lee Sang-min and four calls to then-Korean National Police Agency Commissioner Cho Ji-ho.

Also, on Dec. 3, 2024, the day martial law was declared, Park allegedly made calls to the KNPA's director general of the Public Order Management Bureau and the chief of the Yeongdeungpo Police Station, which both the director general and the chief said were to inquire about the situation at the National Assembly and to check on police personnel safety.

With Park’s appointment being made while key governmental positions -- such as the president, interior minister and the KNPA chief -- have been occupied by officials in acting positions, criticism has also mounted surrounding the legitimacy of Park’s appointment.

Politicians from opposition parties such as the Democratic Party of Korea, Rebuilding Korea Party and Basic Income Party have also criticized Park’s appointment, saying it aligns too closely with the Yoon administration, as Park has assumed key positions within the KNPA, Interior Ministry and presidential office during Yoon's term.

Amid such controversies, the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee plans to hold a plenary session on Feb. 18 to call on Park and others slated for a promotion to question the personnel appointment process.

Park, 54, first became a police official in 1994. After being appointed as the head of the KNPA’s Crisis Management Center in 2022, he was transferred to the Presidential Transition Committee as a police representative before Yoon was inaugurated as president.

In October 2023, Park was appointed as the director general of the KNPA’s Intelligence Bureau before being named director general of the Interior Ministry’s police bureau in June 2024.