South Korea Names New Police Chiefs in Nationwide Leadership Reshuffle

South Korea has carried out a sweeping leadership overhaul of its police force, replacing 14 of the country’s 18 provincial police chiefs in a single night, according to 매일경제. The appointments, reported on Tuesday, place Kim Jong-chul as the new acting commissioner of the National Police Agency.

Kim takes over the top post alongside two other key appointments: Ko Beom-seok has been named chief of the Seoul Metropolitan Police, and Yoo Seung-ryeol will lead the Incheon Metropolitan Police, 매일경제 reports. The scale of the reshuffle marks one of the largest single rotations of regional police leadership in recent memory.

Kim Jong-chul’s first official field visit as acting commissioner was to Jeju Island, where he inspected the site of a missing-person case, according to KBS News and other outlets. The trip signals an early focus on operational responsiveness and public safety concerns.

In his initial remarks, Kim said he intends to “redesign” the overall scope of police work, as reported by the Kookje Daily News. His comments suggest a broader mandate beyond personnel changes, pointing to possible structural or procedural reforms within the agency.

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The overnight shakeup comes at a time of heightened scrutiny on law enforcement in South Korea, though the specific reasons for the mass replacement were not detailed in the available reporting. The new leadership team will now face the immediate challenge of stabilizing command across the country’s major metropolitan and provincial forces.

Observers will be watching whether Kim’s promised redesign leads to concrete policy shifts in how the police handle investigations, public order, and community engagement in the coming months.